


All Good Things Are Wild And Free

by nerdy_farm_girl



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, F/M, Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Scottish Character, Selkies, goddess of artio, post season 3B
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 10:50:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 103,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2385677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdy_farm_girl/pseuds/nerdy_farm_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sadie Sheldon led an ordinary life an an IRS agent living in San Francisco. That is, until Special Agent McCall recruited her to join his FBI team and moves her back to her family's home town of Beacon Hills. As Sadie learns the ropes of her new job, she also reconnects with her cousin Lydia, while catching the attention of the town most eligible werewolf, Derek Hale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All Business All Day

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece I started writing at the end of 3B. I made created an original character (actually a lot of OCs), and the research is a little sloppy, but I'd like to share it. I am editing my old work as I go, but please share any comments/suggestions.

Sadie stared at her computer screen, attempting to fight off the two o'clock sleepiness that always seemed to wiggle its way in every afternoon. Her thoughts tended to wander to her grandparents farm on the out skirts of Beacon Hills. She hadn't visited the farm in months, but growing up, she had spent every weekend there, riding horses and raising chickens. This IRS job was a good deal, but it was starting to get boring. Sadie would've given anything to be able to work with the FBI again on a case. Now that had been exciting. The ringing of her phone drew her out of her thoughts.

"Good afternoon this is Sadie Sheldon," she recited, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder. 

"Sheldon, this is Agent McCall." A rough male voice spoke through the phone, and Sadie's heart started to pound. 

"Agent McCall, how can I help you today?" She tried to keep her voice level, even as her hands were starting to sweat. Agent McCall was the FBI agent who had led the team she had assisted a couple of months ago. She had really enjoyed working with him, and was praying that he had another assignment for her. 

"I have a proposition for you Sadie..." He paused, "I want you to join my team." Sadie couldn't believe her ears. This was a dream come true! Her hands were shaking, her heart was pounding, and her voice ceased to work. "Sadie?" McCall asked, concern laced in his voice. 

"Hi, yes, I'm sorry I just um, yes, I'd love to join your team!" Sadie finally spit out, her voice an octave higher than usual. Keep it together girl! McCall chuckled on the other line.

"You're not even going to ask what I want you to do?" 

"Right. What do you have in mind sir?" Sadie asked, allowing her voice to hold a bit of humor, causing McCall to chuckle again.

"You're a good egg Sheldon. Anyways, I need an agent trained in accounting. I have a police department that needs to be audited, and that's my excuse to bring you on. But I really just want you on my team." 

Sadie was taken aback by his honesty and kind words. McCall wasn't one to hand out compliments, and it sure felt good to hear that he wanted her on his team. 

"Thank you! When do you want me to start?" Sadie was already preparing her two-weeks speech for her boss in her head. She glanced up from her desk, surprised to see a guy in an FBI jacket step out of her boss's office.

"Right now. Agent Reilly just spoke to your boss. Pack it up, you're moving to beacon hills." 

"Wait what? Beacon hills? Why there?" Sadie wasn't sure why the FBI needed to be in the little town of beacon hills. Her family's home town never seemed all that exciting to her. 

"Sadie, or should I say Agent Sheldon, you've got a lot to learn."

It had been a week since that fateful phone call, and Sadie was exhausted. The FBI didn't mess around. Not only had they found her an apartment in downtown beacon hills, but they had also hired a moving company to help her move, getting her settled in within three days. The next three days were filled with training exercises, and now she was pulling into the beacon hills police department. Sadie parked her car in the far corner of the parking lot, and undid her seatbelt with a sigh. She stepped out of the car and adjusted her skirt, smirking at her own reflection in the window. It felt pretty damn badass to carry a gun. Hers was holstered in the waistband of her gray pencil skirt. She flipped her long strawberry blonde hair over her shoulders, and smoothed her top over her chest. Here goes nothing.

She strode purposefully across the parking lot, heels clicking loudly on the pavement. Sadie pushed through the front door, suddenly realizing she had no idea where she was supposed to be going. A young cop was behind the front desk, eyes focused on the computer screen on the counter. He was average height, with curly brown hair and a cute boyish face. Sadie cleared her throat, smiling flirtatiously as the cop glanced up, and then did a double take. He smiled cheekily at her, and butterflies danced in her stomach in response. Focus on the job, not flirting with cute boys.   
"Hi, can I help you?" His voice was friendly, and he was beginning to remind her of a young mark ruffalo. Nodding, Sadie stepped closer, glancing at his name badge. Johnson.   
"Hi, uh yeah, I'm here to see agent McCall?" She asked nervously.   
"Ah, you must be agent Sheldon? I wasn't expecting you to be a girl... Or so beautiful," Johnson replied with a grin, stepping out from behind the desk. Sadie just blushed.  
"Sorry to disappoint," she attempted to tease him as she followed him deeper into the station.   
"Oh no, you just made me actually grateful for the FBI presence." Johnson winked at her as they paused in front of a locked door. Through the glass panes Sadie could see McCall along with Cho and stabler, the other members of the team. "This is you." Johnson added, sliding his I.D. through the card reader. The lock popped, and he pulled the door open for Sadie.   
"Thank you," she said quietly, a blush still on her cheeks.  
"You need any thing, you let deputy Johnson now." He grinned, and Sadie nodded.

"Save it Johnson!" McCall yelled, "I don't need you distracting my new agent." Johnson just laughed and walked back to the front desk. "Come on Sheldon, get in here." Agent McCall added with a gentle smile. Sadie smiled back and walked farther into the room, a rush of joy flooding her at the sight of her name plaque on an empty desk. 

"Welcome to the team Sheldon!" Agent cho said cheerily, walking over and shaking her hand.  
"Thank you!" Sadie smiled, taking his hand. Cho was Asian and short, but he was really buff... And could probably kick Sadie's ass with one, no both hands tied behind his back.  
"Sheldon, this is agent stabler, he's going to be your partner in the field." McCall announced, motioning agent stabler forward. Sadie nodded and reached her hand out towards stabler, surprised when he instead wrapped her in a hug.   
"Welcome to the fam kid!" Stabler guffawed, releasing her from his arms. She narrowed her eyes at him.  
"Kid? What are you, two years older than me?" She scoffed, smirking up at him.   
"That's my girl." McCall clapped her on that back as stabler waggled his brows. Sadie rolled her eyes, trying not to admit to herself that stabler was incredibly good looking. He had smooth dark skin, sparkling brown eyes and a perfect smile. He towered over her, and possessed a boyish charm. He is your partner, therefore you think of him as a brother. Right. 

"So Sheldon, your official job here is to audit the beacon hills police department." Cho said, leaning against the table set up in the center of the room. "However, we think your accounting training and attention to detail will be crucial in helping us try and figure out the shit load of Unsolved cases that've piled up here." Cho crossed his arms across his chest and glanced at McCall.   
"Right. These," McCall paused and flipped the giant whiteboard that stood against the wall. "Are all of the unsolved cases." Sadie's eyes widened as she took in the board. It was set up as a time line, with at least eighty cases stretching over the past ten years. Pictures of victims and descriptions of the crime filled the board. Sadie stepped closer, examining the details more closely.   
"And these," she turned around when stabler starting speaking, narrowing her eyes once again when she saw the stack of files he was pointing at. "Are all the case files." Stabler chuckled at the dirty look she was giving him, obviously enjoying the relationship they were forming. "Better get reading kiddo!" 

"Unfortunately Sadie, he's right." McCall said slowly, a small smile on his face. "Your first assignment is to familiarize yourself with these cases. See if you can find any common threads or similarities. Trust your instincts, anything that jumps out at you could me the detail we're missing." Sadie nodded, scooping a pile of files into her arms and dumping them onto her desk. 

"How soon do you want me to be done with this?" She asked agent McCall, her serious, professional persona finally settling in. 

"As long as it takes you to get familiar." McCall glanced at his watch. "Today's Wednesday, so I expect to hear what you've got on Monday."


	2. Superstitious

Sadie dove head first into the case files. She finally emerged late on Friday morning, her head spinning with all the information she had just absorbed. She tipped back in her office chair rubbing her eyes with one hand and bringing a cup of hot coffee to her lips with the other. 

"Hey kid, how you making out?" Stabler asked from his neighboring desk. Today he was dressed in dark blue jeans and a leather jacket. Sadie yawned.

"well, I've read through all these... I can't believe that this many terrible things have happened here." 

"You're telling me, this town is crazy!" He chuckled, "got any bright ideas?" Sadie shrugged, flipping through her pages of notes that she had taken.

"I dunno, I need to organize all this information... But there are definitely some commonalities here." She glanced at stabler and smiled.

"Well let me know if you need anything," stabler winked before standing up and ambling over to the coffee machine in the corner.

"I'm sure you'll be a great help," Sadie snarled teasingly, earning a chuckle from cho. 

"Love you too baby girl!" He cooed, pouring himself a cup of coffee. 

Ignoring him Sadie turned to her notes, trying to think of how she wanted to attack this. She eventually decided to make her own detailed timeline in an excel file. She organized the cases by date, and then included everything she found important: victim descriptions, the type of crime, and any other important details. It took two hours, but she finally had her file built. She wasn't sure exactly what connected these things. It seemed to Sadie that many of these crimes could be put down as vicious animal attacks, which was strange. Why was the beacon hills police department looking at animal attacks? 

Sadie closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She had to be missing something. She stared at the calendar on the wall in front of her. After a few minutes, the little moon symbol on the 23rd caught her eye. Maybe.... She pulled up the internet and searched for the dates of the full moons for the past ten years. Downloading the list she put it into her spreadsheet, gasping at the results in front of her. At least half of the crimes had been committed on days when the moon was full. And an additional percentage happened in the days leading up to and following the full moon. Looking closer at her notes, it seemed that all of those cases had been reopened by sheriff stilinski within the last month. 

Sadie printed out her time line and gathered up her notes, deciding to go speak to the sheriff. She had immediately taken to him. He reminded her of her own dad, and even though the sheriff and McCall seemed to have some kind of problem, she thought he was a perfect fit for the job. He really took the safety of beacon hills seriously, and took it personal that the FBI was investigating. She made her way down the hall, her riding boots clicking loudly on the tiled floor. 

"Agent Sheldon! You're looking good today!" Deputy Johnson was behind his own desk this morning, leaning back in his chair with a cocky grin on his face. 

"You sure know how to boost a girls ego," Sadie teased, walking briskly past him. 

"God bless casual Friday..." She heard him moan softly, and she held in a laugh. Apparently her trusty blue jeans were doing their job today. She strode up to the sheriffs door and took a calming breath before knocking. 

"Come in!" Stilinski called, and Sadie entered nervously. "Oh agent Sheldon, what can I do for you?" Sadie closed the door behind her, and slowly sat down in one of the chairs in front of the sheriffs desk.

"Sheriff, I've been looking through all the old case files... And uh, I think I stumbled upon something that you've already noticed." Sadie swallowed and glanced up at the sheriff, surprised to find his full attention, and steely blue eyes focused on her.   
"Is that so?" Sheriff stilinski said slowly, his hands coming to rest on his desk. Sadie nodded.  
"A ton of crimes have been committed on nights when there was a full moon, they were generally classified as animal attacks, and you have reopened almost all of them." When she paused the sheriff opened his mouth to speak, but Sadie held up her hand. "I haven't said anything to McCall about this yet, because I think you know more than you're telling. Now my grandparents live in beacon hills, and I've always got the vibe from them that there's something a little strange about this town, and-"

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" The sheriffs door burst open, and Sadie abruptly shut her mouth. 

"Stiles really?" The sheriff asked exasperatedly, staring at whomever was standing behind Sadie. She twisted in her chair, eyeing the teenage boy that had burst in.   
"Oh, uh hi!" The kid waved at Sadie, his brown eyes sparkling as he quite obviously checked her out.   
"God stiles, control yourself," the sheriff sighed, leaning his head on his hands.  
"Stiles!" A familiar female voice screeched from outside. Sadie frowned trying to place it. "You totally just left me in the dust out there!" Sadie could hear high heels clicking on the tiles. A grin spread across her face as a teenage girl stepped into the sheriffs office.   
"Lydia?!" Sadie squealed, standing up quickly.  
"Oh my gosh! Sadie!" Lydia ran towards her and Sadie scooped her into her arms. "What are you doing here?" Lydia asked, and Sadie held her at arms length in order to exam her.  
"Wow, you two look a lot a like... and you know each other? Wait are you sisters? Lydia, do you have a sister you didn't tell me about?" Stiles, who Sadie assumed was stilinski's son, was blabbering in the corner.  
"Shut up stiles." Stilinski sighed, "this is agent Sheldon, she's working for special agent McCall." 

"And she's my cousin," Lydia added with a smile. "I can't believe you're here! Are you living in beacon hills now?" Sadie nodded.

"Yes, I moved into an apartment over the weekend... Agent McCall just brought me on last week." She couldn't help but grin, being part of the FBI still seemed like a dream. "Sheriff, I'll catch up with you later," Sadie added, walking backwards towards the door, clutching her files to her chest. "Lyd, call me tonight, we'll catch up!" She had reached the door, and spun around to stride out. "Ooof," she gasped as she slammed into a hard body. The impact sent her files to the floor, and she began to tumble backwards into stilinski's office. 

Sadie closed her eyes, waiting for the sharp sting of her ass hitting the floor. Instead, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, and tug her upright.   
"I'm so sorry," she gasped as her eyes shot open.   
"No, I'm sorry," a gentle male voice answered. Sadie found her eyes slowly traveling up from the broad chest in front of her, to a strong jaw covered in dark stubble, over plump pink lips and a sharp nose, and directly to a pair of magnificent green eyes. It was as if time had slowed, her heart was pounding in her ears, and she realized that her hands were gripping this strangers arms. And boy were his arms muscular. Pull it together girl! The man's lips quirked into a small smile, and Sadie shook herself out of it.  
"Sorry, sorry," she repeated, "thanks for catching me." She knelt to the ground and started gathering her papers. To her surprise he crouched across from her, helping her collect her stuff.   
"Un-freaking-believable." Stiles muttered from the sheriffs office. Sadie couldn't help but smirk to herself. She had no idea what he was even referring to, but the kid was melodramatic.   
"You should always be smiling," the stranger said softly. Sadie glanced up to find him smiling gently at her, holding a stack of papers towards her.   
"Thank you," she murmured, cheeks instantly coloring as she took the papers from him. He helped her to her feet, his hand gripping her elbow. She couldn't help but notice how good he smelled, and she found herself fighting her instinct to cuddle against his chest.   
"What's the cycle of the moon got to do with all these murders?" He asked, his grip tightening marginally on her arm. She gulped, her mind racing to find something to say. 

"Sheldon!!" At the sound of her name, Sadie whipped her head around. Stabler was poking his head out of their office. He motioned for her, and she almost sighed in relief.   
"Sorry, but that's confidential." She smiled sweetly up at the handsome stranger, before turning and striding towards stabler. As she walked she fought the urge to look over her shoulder. But she wanted to see him again. The chance to memorize his face, to see those green eyes one last time. At the last second she gave in, twisting around only to find him staring after her. He bit his lip when their eyes met, and Sadie found herself wanting to run to him and from him at the same time. Instead she ended up walking smack dab into the squad room door. 

"Dammit," she muttered, yanking the door open with unnecessary force. 

"Saddle up kid!" Stabler shouted cheerily, tossing a bullet proof vest at her. "We're going for a ride." Sadie couldn't help but grin as she dumped her files and pulled on the vest. She tightened the Velcro around her sides, and adjusted her gun in its holster. 

"I feel like a big kid now!" She said with a laugh, earning an eye roll from McCall and a chuckle from cho. 

"Let's rock and roll baby girl," stabler called as he pushed open the squad room door. Sadie hurried to catch up with him, falling in step beside him as they strode through the station. "Girl, you're making the men of beacon hills thirsty as all hell!" He teased, nudging her shoulder as they passed deputy Johnson.  
"Oh please, you're making that up," Sadie hissed, her cheeks coloring slightly. Stabler shook his head and grinned.  
"Johnson's chasing you like a dog chases a cat..."  
"That's weird."  
"Stilinski's kid is basically drooling over there..."  
"He's in high school!"   
"And tall, dark and scary is staring you down from inside Stilinksi's office," at this Sadie turned her head and glanced towards the sheriff's office. Her handsome stranger was watching her, and his perfect lips quirked up in the corners when he caught her gaze. She immediately turned away as her face flamed red. "What no comment on that one?" Stabler smirked, throwing his arm over her shoulders. "Does Sheldon have a crush on the scary man?" He teased in a baby voice. Sadie snarled and elbowed him in the gut. As he doubled over she strode out into the parking lot and hopped into the passenger side of their black SUV.

It was almost two minutes before stabler climbed behind the wheel.   
"That was rude," stabler hissed, glaring at her. Sadie shrugged and smirked at him.  
"Can't say you didn't deserve it." She flung her hair over her shoulders and stared straight ahead, trying not to let a smile break through. She was finding that it was surprisingly difficult to stay mad at stabler. Even when he wasn't trying, he made her laugh, and in this case it was becoming increasingly hard to keep a straight face. 

"Stop laughing at me," stabler grumbled as he backed out of the parking spot. He was pouting, a sullen look taking over his face.   
"I'm not-" Sadie's attempt to deny went up in flames as a giggle slipped out of her mouth. "I'm sorry okay?" She laughed heartily.  
"Don't sound too sorry," stabler whined, but Sadie could see his mouth start to twitch into a smile.  
"I'm sorry about that too," she giggled, and soon stabler was giggling right along with her. After a few minutes he held up his hand.  
"Ok, we need to sober up. We are professionals here right?"   
"Right," Sadie nodded in agreement, trying to force the grin off her face. "Where are we going anyway?"   
"There's a team of agents doing a raid a few towns over. A buddy of mine requested some extra back up."   
"Oh... I dunno if I'll really be much help, I'm kind of a rookie..." Sadie said quietly. Stabler shook his head and smirked at her.   
"First of all, I saw your shooting scores... You got the best marks of any non-military recruit in the last five years. Secondly, you need the experience. And lastly, I'm thinking there might be a connection to all of our cases in beacon hills."

Sadie frowned, not really sure what a drug raid could possibly have to do with murders and assaults on beacon hills. She kept quiet though, deciding to trust her partner and his additional years of experience. 

They drove for about half an hour before Sadie spotted a bunch of other FBI vehicles. She hopped out of the car and followed stabler around to the trunk. He handed her a machine gun, a grim look on his face.   
"I want you to hang back and stay behind me. It's not that I don't think you can handle yourself, but this is your first time." Stabler's voice was low, and more serious than Sadie had ever heard. She nodded in agreement, sliding the gun's strap over her shoulder. Stabler grabbed a gun for himself and strode towards the group of agents huddled around the back of another SUV. Sadie hurried after him, this time struggling to keep up with his long strides. 

"Darren Stabler, good to see you man." One of the agents greeted stabler, reaching out a muscle bound arm and clapping him on the back. 

"LaPierre, it's been a while," stabler replied, motioning for Sadie. "I want you to meet my new partner, agent Sadie Sheldon." She stepped forward and shook LaPierre's hand.

"Welcome to the FBI Sheldon," LaPierre said with a nod. "You're in good hands with this guy. Lord knows he's saved my ass a time or two." 

"About as many as you've saved mine," stabler added with a genuine smile. LaPierre turned back to the rest of the agents, whistling to draw everyone's attention. 

"Alright guys, we're aiming for no casualties here. We've counted six bodies inside using the heat radar. Our intelligence indicates that this is their packing and shipping warehouse for cocaine. Shoot to wound, not kill if drawn upon. Stabler, Sheldon and Martinez are with me, we'll take the back. The rest of you go in the front." 

Sadie nodded in understanding, shifting closer to stabler. He shot her a reassuring smile, before turning and following LaPierre. Stabler fell in behind Martinez, a tough looking Latina, and Sadie followed close behind him. They snuck down an alley that wound behind the targeted building. When they came upon the back door, stabler and Sadie pressed against the wall on the left, Martinez did the same on the right, and laPierre stood directly in front.  
"In position," he whispered, pressing his earpiece. He nodded at stabler before counting down from three, "three, two, one." He kicked the door open in one clean move, rushing inside with stabler and Martinez close on his heels. Sadie followed quickly, heart pounding in her ears as she tried to keep up.

The sound of people yelling "FBI! Freeze!" And "hands up!" Filled the air. Sadie stuck close to stabler, shining the flashlight attached to the top of her gun around as they moved through the warehouse. It was dark inside, since someone had shot the lights out, and the windows were spray painted black. As she swung the light around, she could've sworn there were two sets of glowing blue eyes reflecting back at her. She froze, quickly turning back around and illuminating the area again. All she could see was stacks of empty cardboard boxes.  
"What's the matter?" Stabler whispered in her ear, his breath hot on her neck. Sadie shook her head slowly, her heart still hammering in her chest.  
"I thought I saw something... But I guess not." She whispered, turning forward and facing him. Stabler nodded and they continued forward, emerging into the center of the warehouse. LaPierre and Martinez had four guys laying face down on the floor, hands cuffed behind their backs. The rest of the team had started going through the evidence contained in the warehouse.   
"I thought they said they counted six bodies..." Sadie murmured to stabler as they walked towards LaPierre.  
"You're right," he muttered. "LaPierre, wasn't there supposed to be six suspects?"   
"Well our heat radar isn't the most accurate," LaPierre said gruffly. "Or maybe they slipped by us." Sadie began to question if maybe she had seen something. She had seen two sets of eyes, and they were missing two people. But why were their eyes glowing? Human eyes aren't supposed to reflect like that in the light. Unless they were wearing special contacts or something... God knows what purpose they could possibly have. Even so, if there was bodies connected to the glowing eyes, how had they managed to escape so silently and quickly. It should've been impossible for them to slip away without making any noise or knocking any boxes over.   
"Sheldon!" Sadie jumped and glanced up. "Jeez woman, you've just been staring off into space for like five minutes!" Stabler teased. Sadie shook her head and grinned.   
"Oh sorry," she forced a laugh.   
"Come on kiddo, we've done all we can for today." He added gently, grasping her arm and pulling her towards the door. 

"Spill Sheldon, what were you thinking about in there?" The words were out of stabler's mouth as soon as they climbed into the SUV.   
"Nothing really..." Sadie said quietly, for some reason feeling embarrassed.  
"Come on, we've gotta share, bounce ideas around. That's how this partner thing works."   
"Right," Sadie sighed. "I thought I had seen glowing eyes when we went in. But when I turned around and checked, there was nothing there. But then, we were two suspects short, and I saw two sets of eyes so..." She glanced over at stabler, who seemed to be taking her seriously. "I dunno really, it doesn't make much sense."

Stabler was silent for a moment, and Sadie could tell he was mulling it over in his mind. Rubbing a hand over his eyes quickly.  
"It makes sense in Beacon Hills." He finally said quietly, offering no further explanation. After a few more minutes of silence, Sadie let out another sigh.   
"Well on that bombshell..." She leaned forward and cranked up radio.   
"Damn girl this is my jam!" Stabler yelled, turning the music up even louder and singing along with iggy azalea "who dat? Who dat? I-g-g-y!" Sadie couldn't help but laugh at her partners' antics. It wasn't long before she found herself singing loudly along with him to every song that came on. 

By the time they reached the station, Sadie had pushed the glowing eyes to the back of her mind. In fact, all she could think about were the new songs she needed to download, and how she needed to do something fun this weekend. She followed stabler into the station, nodding to deputy Parrish behind the front desk.   
"Hey Sheldon!" Deputy Johnson was yelling as soon as he spotted her. "Come here for a minute!" Sadie held in an eye roll and headed over to his desk. She liked Johnson alright, but his over eager manner had kind of turned her off.   
"What's up?" She asked nonchalantly, leaning her hip against his desk. Surprisingly Johnson looked down at his hands nervously and cleared his throat.  
"Hey uh, I was wondering um, so there's a band playing at this bar I go to, and um my buddies and I are going, and they're really good, and um I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go?" 

Sadie stared at him a beat, allowing him to suffer momentarily.  
"Um sure, is this like a group thing?" Johnson nodded, even though he seemed to be blushing slightly.  
"Yeah uh, eight o'clock tomorrow night? I can pick you up?" Sadie smirked at him.  
"Sounds good," she turned and strode quickly away from his desk, trying to ignore the watching eyes of every deputy within earshot. 

When she entered the squad room, stabler was grinning evilly at her. She glared at him and shook her head, praying he wouldn't make a scene in front of cho and McCall. She flopped into her chair and started up her computer, deciding to look into the whole glowing eyes thing. Maybe she wasn't crazy. Glancing through her notes, she was surprised by how many of the reports included witness statements with descriptions of seeing people with or disembodied glowing eyes. Sometimes they were blue, sometimes yellow, once in a while red. In her timeline file she marked all of these cases, unsurprisingly many of them also corresponded to the full moon. She knew one thing for sure, Beacon Hills was a strange place.


	3. Meet Virginia

She had blue eyes. They reminded him of the ocean on a cloudy day, when the waves were dark and almost gray. Her eyes were what stuck with him the most. That and the feel of her skin beneath his hands, and the way her heart rate picked up when she looked at him for the first time. 

Derek turned a page in his book, in order to keep up the facade that he was reading. Hopefully Peter would leave soon. As if he heard his thoughts, peter glanced up from his lap top.

"Exciting book you got there?" He asked, his ever present smirk flitting across his face, Derek shrugged. He wasn't about to stoop to peter's level and entertain an answer. After a few moments of silence peter continued. "Your heart rate is very uneven. And you reek like a horny teenager." Derek loudly blew his breath out of his nose and rolled his eyes.

"I think you are going insane." He kept his voice even and concentrated on his breathing, slowing his heart rate down to a steady thump-thump. Peter just gave him that look. The one that made Derek feel like his uncle could see right through him. But there was no way peter could know he'd met a girl. And even if he'd somehow found out about the run in he'd had with Agent Sheldon at the sheriffs station, there was no possibility anyone noticed his attraction to her. It wasn't even attraction really. It was curiosity. Sheldon had been carrying papers covered with notes regarding the lunar phases. When he'd asked her about it, her heart rate had jumped, which signaled that she was about to tell a lie. What was the newest addition to the FBI team stationed in beacon hills doing researching the moon? Stilinski had said that she was a forensic accountant. Not that that made any sense either. Add in the fact that she somehow knew Lydia Martin... Derek didn't trust her.

Or at least that's what he tried to convince himself. He'd always put his trust in the wrong women. Playing all cute and innocent wasn't going to fool him this time. Even though Agent Sheldon hadn't really come off that way. She seemed professional and down to earth. He smiled, the image of her running into the door popping into his head. And then watching her with her partner, bullet proof vest strapped tight and gun on her hip, she'd seemed so tough, so independent. Derek wanted to observe her, spend time with her, learn what made her tick, he wanted to hear her laugh, to see that beautiful smile, to feel her lips against - no.

He stopped himself, shaking his head slightly. Peter was still smirking at him, and he refused to let his thoughts go down that road. Every woman he'd ever become involved with had either epically betrayed him, or had died because of him. Or both. There was no way in hell he was going through that again. Derek wasn't a relationship person in any shape or form. At least that's what he told himself. 

"Listen to me Scott! Derek will back me up!" Stiles, Scott and Isaac had come bursting into Derek's apartment, uninvited as always.

"I doubt I will back you up on anything." He dead panned, making a show of sighing and putting down his book. 

"Uncalled for." Stiles glared at him. "I was just telling them that there's a new FBI agent, who's seriously hot. Andddd she's Lydia's cousin!" 

"Stiles! I never said I didn't believe you!" Scott half yelled, half laughed. "I just was trying to remind you that you have Ma-" he glanced at peter and cringed. "A girlfriend now." 

"It's called 'look but don't touch' idiot!" Stiles was indignant, and Derek could tell that he just wanted to argue with somebody. 

"I don't see why you three need to be in my home right now." Derek drawled, raising his eye brows slightly.

"Haven't you heard?" Isaac said quietly, a smirk on his face. "We knew that you would really want to be a part of the discussion about the hot new girl." 

"Sarcasm is not a good look for you," stiles hissed, looking like he wanted to kick Lahey.

"Jesus Christ. Yes. Agent Sheldon is beautiful. Can we please move on?" Derek growled. The three teens and his uncle all stared at them, jaws dropping in awe. 

"Did... Did you just..." Stiles seemed to be having trouble forming sentences, while peter and Isaac were both regaining their smirks. 

"There's a new pack causing some trouble. They seem to operate more like a gang than a family. I think they're up to something bad." Scott finally got down to business, but Derek could've sworn he saw his mouth twitching in the corners. 

"What do you want me to do about it?" Derek drawled. He would never admit it out loud, but he enjoyed playing the jerk with these kids sometimes. 

"Told you he would say that." Isaac grumbled, flopping down on the couch in between Derek and Peter. Derek tried not to chuckle at the dirty look his uncle gave the teen. Peter clearly did not appreciate how close Isaac was at the moment. 

"I'm actually more interested in discussing Derek's apparent feelings for the new cop... Let's go back to that." Stiles cut in, moving to sit on the coffee table directly in front of Derek. This was going to be a long night. 

Sadie was all alone. It was dark, but she knew where she was, the forest surrounding her grandparents farm. All she could hear was her own heavy breathing and her heart pounding in her chest. She leaned against a tree, straining her eyes to see anything. Tentatively, she pulled a flashlight out of her pocket and turned it on, illuminating a triangle of light in front of her. Nothing, there was nothing. Her heart beat began to slow as she turned in a small circle, her white sundress fluttering around her knees. And then she saw it. A pair of glowing blue eyes. She gasped, this time the eyes didn't disappear. No this time, another pair appeared, and then another. Sadie screamed, but no sound came out of her throat. She fumbled for her gun, panicking when she realized it wasn't there. Her next option was to run, and she tried, god she tried. Her legs were heavy, as if they were made of lead. She stumbled over and over again, tears streaming down her face as she tried to escape the glowing eyes. Her left foot hooked a root and she hit the ground hard. Soft footsteps sounded in her ears, and moving just her eyes, she strained to look up. She could just see a pair of black biker boots, attached to what she assumed was a mans body. The boots stepped over her, and suddenly an animalistic growl filled the air.

Sadie sat up in bed, clutching her quilt to her chest. Only three days on the job and she was already having nightmares. She could still see the eyes when she closed her eyes, so she opened them again. It occurred to her that the growl at the end hadn't scared her like it should've, instead she had felt safe, protected. She glanced at her clock, groaning when she realized it was one thirty in the morning. She flopped back into her pillows and rolled onto her side, instantly falling back asleep.

She was back on the forest floor, and the biker boots appeared before her once again. This time though, she felt utterly and completely calm. She tried to push herself up, surprised to feel strong hands grasp her arms and pull her up. Soft green eyes, a defined nose, and full lips smiled gently down at her.  
"Are you alright?" It was the guy from the sheriffs station. Sadie nodded, mesmerized by those eyes. Was he the one that growled? "Good." He whispered, before capturing her lips in his. Every thought disappeared from Sadie's mind as she kissed him back eagerly, her body molding to his. She closed her eyes, and finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep. 

Sadie groaned and rolled over, fumbling around for her phone that was ringing loudly.  
"Hullo?" She grumbled, pressing it to her ear and leaning back into her pillows.  
"Sadie! It's Lydia! Did you just wake up?" Her cousin was way too cheerful for this time of day. She glanced at the clock, it was almost eleven. Okay so maybe she was just lazy.  
"Oh hey Lyd, no I'm up, I'm up..." She stifled a yawn and swung her legs off the bed. "What's up?"  
"Come have brunch with me," Lydia demanded. "Mom said she'll make us waffles and strawberries!" Sadie couldn't help but smile, she had missed her family.  
"Ok, I just need to get dressed, and I'll head over."  
Lydia squealed into the phone.  
"Yay! We have so much to talk about! Hurry!" 

Sadie hung up with a chuckle, and dug around in the box that held her weekend clothes. Her eyes still blurry with sleep, she pulled on a pair of yoga pants and tugged the shirt she had slept in off. She replaced it with a white tee with a deep v-neck. After stumbling into the bathroom, she threw her hair up into a messy bun and glared at her reflection in the mirror. One perk of big boobs... Even a t-shirt can look slutty. But is that even a perk? Never mind. Sadie washed her face and then brushed her teeth, not even bothering to put on makeup. Even though she knew Lydia would be dolled up as usual, she didn't feel like she needed to impress anybody today. Anyway, she was a firm believer that her face and hair needed a break on the weekends. 

Finally feeling awake Sadie skipped out of the bathroom and rummaged around for a pair of sneakers. Grabbing her phone, purse and keys, she headed out the door and to her car. As she drove out of the city and into the suburbs, she began to wonder why she had slept so late in the first place. It was rare for her to sleep past 9:30 on the weekends, never mind this late. She figured the stress of starting her new job must've wore her out... But she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she had forgotten something. One thing she knew she hadn't forgotten was her little date with deputy Johnson tonight. Except it wasn't a date. She wasn't about to go down that path with him. Right?

An hour later Sadie was stretched across Lydia's bed, reading the latest Cosmo. She plopped a strawberry into her mouth and turned the page. From the moment she arrived, Lydia had been talking, filling her in on her life since they had last spoke. Lydia wasn't one to hold back. Sadie had always got the feeling that she was the one person who her cousin could show her true colors around, and they had been quite close for it. Now though, it seemed as if Lydia had become more guarded, less willing to share every detail. Sadie frowned at the article in front of her: decoding your dreams.  
"I think I forgot a dream I had last night..." She said slowly, letting the magazine rest on her chest.  
"So? A lot of people don't remember their dreams." Lydia replied from her seat, propped up against the head board.  
"I know... but I usually remember them. And I feel like this was important." Sadie sighed, rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes.  
"You're an FBI agent Sadie! You shouldn't care about stuff like this!" Lydia insisted with a laugh.  
"I know. I know! I have more important things to worry about anyways..."  
"Like your date with deputy Johnson?" Lydia teased. Sadie lifted her head off the bed just enough to glare at her cousin,  
"It's not a date!" She hissed. "How do you know about that?" 

Lydia just shrugged, a smirk appearing on her face. Narrowing her eyes Sadie sat up so she could better glare at her.  
"Lydia. How. Do. You. Know?"  
"Maybe I'm psychic?" Lydia replied, returning to the fashion magazine she was reading. Sadie shook her head and ripped the magazine from her cousin's hands.  
"You seem to forget who you're talking to missy!" Sadie growled, and evil grin appearing on her face. "You can't fool me with your little attitude!" She inched closer. "And I know all of your weaknesses!" Sadie jumped forward and started tickling her. Lydia shrieked and giggled, squirming and kicking, trying to escape.  
"Sadie stop!" She yelled, but Sadie ignored her and kept on, giggles bursting from her mouth.  
"I'm not stopping till you explain!"  
"Fine! Fine!" Lydia gasped, and Sadie stopped immediately. Both of them collapsing into the bed, bodies overlapping and panting. Just as Lydia opened her mouth to speak, her bedroom door burst open. 

"Lydia! Why aren't you..." A teenage boy had burst into the room, his voice trailing off when he caught sight of the girls. He was average height, with dark hair and eyes, and smooth olive skin. Sadie recognized him right away. "Oh, you must be Lydia's cousin." He said, a small smile appearing on his face. "I've heard all about you." Sadie raised her eyebrows, but her question was answered when Lydia muttered,  
"Stiles," and shook her head.  
"And you're Scott McCall." Sadie said softly, detangling herself from Lydia and climbing off the bed to shake Scott's hand. "I know working for your father probably doesn't earn me any points, but I've heard a lot of good things..." She trailed off, distracted by the person who was silently leaning against the doorframe behind Scott. 

She couldn't believe she hadn't heard him. She was supposed to be an FBI agent for god's sake. But there he was, her handsome stranger. His green eyes met her blue ones, and suddenly her dream came flooding back to her. The woods, the eyes, falling down, the howl, him. She spun around and stared at Lydia.  
"I remember my dream now." She whispered. Lydia rolled her eyes.  
"Do you want a trophy or something? Gosh. And Derek, why do you have to be so creepy."

Derek? Who the hell is... Oh. Sadie glanced back at the guy, realizing that he must be Derek. This Derek character smirked at her and shrugged.  
"Don't worry Sadie, if sheriff stilinski likes you, I like you too." Scott said, drawing Sadie's attention back into her previous conversation.  
"Aw thanks!" She grinned, trying not to let her eyes wander back to Derek. Even though he seemed to get better and better looking every time she saw him. And she had like made out with him in her dream, like for a long time. There may have even been some running of the bases going on if you know what I mean. Her phone started ringing in her purse, and she scrambled for it. Stabler's name flashed across the screen, and she glared at it. She had no desire to go to the station right now. 

"Sheldon." She answered, walking over to the window and away from Scott and Lydia, allowing them to have a conversation.  
"Hey baby girl!" Stabler said cheerily, "miss me yet?"  
"No not particularly," Sadie growled, she could feel herself start to smile anyways.  
"Ready for your date with Johnson?"  
"It's not a date!" Sadie hissed, cheeks burning. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" She glanced around, only to find Derek watching her. Now her whole face was on fire.  
"Because that's what Johnson's telling everybody," stabler sounded way to pleased about this.  
"I just want to be his friend." Sadie whispered.  
"Friend-zoned already, what's your problem with him?"  
"I don't have a problem Darren! He's just not my type!" Sadie couldn't believe she was having this conversation right now.  
"Am I your type?" Stabler was obviously having trouble controlling himself now.  
"Jesus no!"  
"Oh I know. Your type is tall, dark, handsome, scary, and helps you up off the floor-"  
"Shhhhhhhh" Sadie shushed him. Even though there was no way Derek could hear what stabler was saying, the smirk on his face made it look like he did. "What did you really call me for stabler?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Is there something case related? You know, a real reason to be bothering me on a Saturday?" Sadie hissed, trying to put this conversation back on the right track. She could still feel Derek's eyes on her as she leaned against the window pane.  
"Oh... Nope I just wanted to brief you on the Johnson situation... Or should I say, operation: friend zone." She could picture his face in her mind, am exaggerated grin on his face.  
"Stahhhhp!" She whined, knocking her forehead against the glass.  
"Come on kid! This could be fun! You can wear an earpiece, and I'll coach you through it. I'm an expert on these things!"  
"Darren. No."  
"Dude! You don't want to break his heart and make it awkward at work! With me sweet talking in your ear, this can go down real smooth."  
"I'm hanging up on you. Bye."  
"No don't!" Ignoring his request she hung up the phone and turned from the window. 

Derek had moved to Lydia's desk chair, and Scott was deep in conversation with Lydia. As Sadie walked towards them they immediately stopped talking, slightly guilty looks on all three of their faces. She frowned but chose to ignore it, instead walking over to the desk and dropping her phone into her purse. Derek's proximity was making her palms sweat and her heart race. Disgusted with herself she attempted to shake it off, slinging her purse over her shoulder. She purposefully stepped away from Derek, and turned to her cousin.  
"Well, I'll let you guys get back to what you're doing... I'll text you later." She smiled gently at Lydia, who nodded, climbed off the bed, and wrapped her in a hug. "Nice to meet you guys," she added as she stepped back.  
"You too!" Scott said cheerily from his seat on Lydia's bed. Derek just nodded, his lips twitching slightly in the corners. Desire pooled hot and heavy in the pit of Sadie's stomach as he looked up at her from beneath his lashes. Get your shit together! Before they could see the flush on her cheeks she turned and hurried out of the room and down the hall.  
"Thanks for breakfast Aunty Nat!" She yelled before pushing out the front door and leaping into her car. She leaned her head against the steering wheel, taking a few deep breaths. She couldn't let him get to her like that. She was a strong, independent woman, who didn't need a man to take care of her. And she was certainly too smart to make a fool out of herself over a guy. Plus, there's something a little off about Derek, she just couldn't quite put her finger on it. She sighed and started the car, backing carefully out of the driveway and heading home.


	4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

"You look really pretty tonight," 

Sadie forced a smile and leaned her head back into the passenger seat of deputy Johnson's pickup truck.  
"Thanks Johnson." She said gently  
"You know, you can call me Corey... We aren't at work." Johnson chuckled, his eyes sparkling as he smiled at her.   
"Right. Sorry." They weren't even to the bar yet and Sadie was already uncomfortable. She should've made sure Johnson knew she didn't want to date him... Because this seemed an awful lot like a date. "So... Are we meeting your friends there?"  
"Yeah... Why?" Johnson looked at her curiously. Sadie just shrugged and made a noncommittal noise. They were silent for a few minutes, the radio softly playing in the background. "So I've been thinking..." Johnson finally started, his knuckles white as he clenched the wheel. "You don't really wanna date me do you." 

Sadie glanced over at him, trying to read his expression. He looked at her briefly, a tortured smile on his face.  
"I'm sorry Corey, I don't know if it's a great idea since we work together you know?" She said quietly, shifting in her seat so she could face him. To her surprise Corey chuckled.  
"I know, I thought of that... It was already weird with everyone knowing we were going out tonight!"   
"That's because you had to tell everyone!" Sadie groaned, smacking his arm gently.  
"I'm sorry!" He laughed wholeheartedly, "I never expected you to say yes!"  
"Oh my god," she giggled, leaning back in the seat and covering her eyes.   
"Plus, it was also fun watching stabler get all excited."  
"He wanted me to wear an earpiece tonight so he could 'coach me'" Sadie said dryly. "I swear he reminds me of my brother."  
"We should make just him think we're dating for reals," Johnson said with a grin as he pulled into the bar.  
"That's such a great idea!" Sadie unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out of the truck, her face splitting into a grin. "This could be so much fun!" She glanced up at Corey, who was waiting at the front of the truck for her.   
"I think we can be the best of friends," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her towards the door.  
"I think we're well on our way," Sadie replied, sliding her own arm around Corey's waist and following the noise of pounding music. 

"Can I just have a glass of water please?" Sadie asked, leaning against the bar to catch her breath. She smiled at Johnson, who was seated with his brother Kevin, and two of his friends at a booth across the dance floor. Jill, Kevin's wife, and Morgan, one of Corey's other friends, were out on the dance floor where she'd left them, busting a move to the Hootie and the Blowfish cover band that was playing. The night had actually turned out to be really fun. Corey and his friends were a blast, and Sadie was grateful to make some new girlfriends. She could tell that they all wanted her to date Corey, but she figured they would get over it.   
"Here you go hon," she glanced up as the bar tender slid a glass of ice water towards her.   
"Thank you!" She smiled and threw a tip onto the bar. Turning back to face the dance floor, she gulped down some water and smiled to herself. It felt good to relax and have a good time. 

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and Sadie frowned. Who could be calling her this late on a weekend night. If it was stabler, she was going to kill him. Lydia's name was flashing across the screen. She sighed and pushed out the door, answering as she hit the warm summer air.

"Hey Lyd, what's up?"   
"Sadie. Something's happened, I need you to come see something." Lydia's voice was quiet and strained.  
"What do you mean? What's going on?"   
"I can't explain over the phone, I just need you here."  
Sadie sighed and leaned against the wall.  
"Johnson picked me up Lyd, I can't just make him leave right now!" She explained. She heard Lydia sigh on the other end of the phone, and then some crackling as if the speaker was covered with a hand.   
"You're at the cornerstone right?" Lydia asked a few seconds later.  
"Yeah,"  
"Derek's coming to get you. I'm giving him your number, he'll text you when he's outside."  
"Wait what? No I don't think" the phone beeped and Sadie stared down at it. "She hung up on me!" She whispered to herself, before heading back inside. What could possibly be going on? She had heard around the station that Lydia and her friends tended to fancy themselves little crime solvers, so it was possible that this was related. Sadie just hoped that they had called the cops if there was a real problem. 

Shaking her head she pushed her way through the crowd and over to Johnson. Placing a hand on his shoulder she leaned close to his ear.  
"Hey, I'm really sorry, but My cousin just called, I don't know what's going on but I've gotta go.." Johnson looked up at her, concern etched on his face.   
"Okay we can go, where do you need me to take you?" Sadie couldn't believe how willing he was to just get up and drive her around. She smiled at him.  
"No it's ok, one of her friends is coming to pick me up, you stay and enjoy yourself." She squeezed his shoulder and stood up.  
"You sure?"   
Sadie nodded and kissed his cheek, smirking as he blushed slightly. She waved to her new friends and hurried back out of the bar. Her phone started vibrating again, this time with an unfamiliar number. Butterflies immediately went wild in her stomach and her palms started to get slick. Derek.  
"Hello?" She answered tentatively, her voice an octave higher than usually.  
"Sadie?" It was the first time she'd heard him say her name, and she immediately fell for the sound.  
"Yeah, hi Derek." She kept her voice low as the door to the bar closed behind her, the loud music immediately silenced.   
"I'll be there in two minutes, meet me by the street, we've gotta hurry." His voice was terse, but the tone of it would always seem gentle to her. She nodded in response, momentarily forgetting that he couldn't see her. "Ok?" He repeated, and she realized she needed to respond.  
"Got it." She heard a beep, and sighed. He'd hung up. She rolled her shoulders and strolled through the parking lot and out to the sidewalk to wait for Derek. She wished she wasn't excited about seeing him again. It felt wrong, almost as if she was cheating on Johnson or something. But they weren't dating. And Derek was only picking her up because Lydia asked him to. It had nothing to do with her. 

She crossed her arms across her stomach and hugged herself, staring down the street. Until she remembered she had no idea what Derek drove, or what direction he was coming from, or even where they were going. All in all, this was a super sketchy situation. Traffic was light, but car after car drove my without stopping. Sadie sighed and pulled up Instagram, trying to keep herself busy and mostly just not look like a weirdo standing on the side of the road. She scrolled through her news feed, smiling at a picture of her best friend's baby, also her god son. Liking the photo she kept scrolling, eyes widening at a photo her ex-boyfriend posted. Of her. With the caption saying "miss this girl every day, the biggest mistake I ever made was letting her go."

Sadie stared at the picture, flabbergasted. She hadn't spoken to Ryan in almost six months. He had cheated on her with a mutual friend, and she had ended it immediately. Her friends had been telling her for years that she could do better, but it had taken him being unfaithful for her to realize it.  
"I don't need this shit right now," she muttered.  
"I can leave if you want..."

She glanced up, only to see Derek in a flat black SUV parked right in front of her, with the passenger side window rolled down. He seemed to enjoy the flustered look she had on her face, because he actually grinned at her. She felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of his smile. He was gorgeous. She shook her head and forced herself to step forward and climb into the car.   
"Thanks for picking me up!" She said cheerfully, exiting out of Instagram and shoving her phone in her pocket. Derek just shrugged and pulled back out onto the road, flooring it and spinning tire. "Wow, ok" she murmured, buckling her seat belt hurriedly.

"So how was your date?" Derek asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. Sadie immediately blushed and rolled her eyes.  
"It wasn't a date. We are just friends." She growled, crossing her arms and glaring at him. He raised his brows at her and just smirked slightly. "No really," she found herself trying to explain her situation to him. "We decided to just be friends!"  
"Lemme guess, he's not your type?" Derek asked, staring straight ahead. Her thoughts immediately leapt to her phone call with stabler earlier in the day. No. There is no way he could've heard that conversation, right?   
"If you must know, he's not!" She snapped, turning up her nose. She couldn't believe that she was resorting to a snotty attitude with this guy. Usually she was witty and quick with her comebacks, but Derek completely disarmed her. He was silent, and Sadie started to feel kind of guilty for snapping at him. He was hard to read, and always looked so serious. She was having problems telling if he was offended or not. Making it worse, the car was completely silent, no music, no commercials no nothing. She leaned forward and turned the radio on, smiling at the song that began playing. 

I wanna thrill ya like Michael,  
I wanna kiss ya like prince,  
Let's get in on like Marvin Gaye ,  
Like Hathaway,  
Write a song for you like this

Sadie bobbed her head and sang along under her breath. She looked up when Derek chuckled, narrowing her eyes at him.  
"What?" She asked him.  
"Nothing," he smiled, shaking his head slightly. Sadie sighed and rolled her eyes, this guy was impossible. "So you been having dreams about me?" He asked suddenly. Sadie's eyes widened as she turned in her seat to face him.  
"How did you know that?" She hissed, turning the radio down so she could better give him a dirty look... Not that that really made sense.   
"I'm psychic."   
"Shut up! No you're not!"   
"Relax," he chuckled, glancing at her quickly. "When you saw me this morning your face got all red, and then you turned to Lydia and said you remembered your dream... So it sure seemed like I made you remember your nightmare."

Well that was awful logical. As usual, Sadie's face was burning with embarrassment.   
"Why would you think it was a bad dream?" She asked quietly, staring at the side of his face. He chuckled humorlessly.  
"Nothing involving me is ever good. It was a nightmare, wasn't it?"  
"It started off as a nightmare... But then it um, it um got better..." She trailed off, the image of the two of them wrapped around each other appearing in her mind. But then she remembered, "you saved me." She whispered to herself, staring down at her hands. When she looked up, Derek was watching her, an almost confused look on his face. When their eyes met he quickly looked away, staring back out the windshield. Sadie continued to watch him, the music still playing softly in the background. Her eyes widened as the headlights of an oncoming car flashed across Derek's face, and his eyes reflected back a bright blue. 

It had to be a fluke, right? His eyes shouldn't have done that. Maybe she was going crazy and seeing things. She turned to stare out the window, trying to calm herself down. Everything was going to be fine.


	5. Some Girls Don't Like Boys Like Me, Oh But Some a Girls Do

It wasn't long before Derek was parking in front of what looked to be a vets office. Sadie sighed and unbuckled her seat belt, rummaging around in her purse and pulling out her pistol. She hopped out of the car and stuck the gun in between the waistband of her jeans and her back. When she glanced up Derek was waiting for her, a skeptical look on his face.  
"I'm an FBI agent, I need my gun." She snapped at him, causing him to laugh.  
"I didn't say a word!" He smirked, placing a hand on her elbow and tugging her inside. 

"Really? That's what you wore on your date?" Lydia blurted as soon as Sadie was in her sight. Sadie shook her head and glanced around taking in the scene. At the moment, there didn't seem to be much of anything happening. Stiles, Lydia, Scott and Sheriff Stilinski were all standing around one of the examination tables in the back room of the vets office. Since there didn't seem to be any blood anywhere, Sadie decided to take the moment to clarify with everyone.  
"First of all, it wasn't a date. Second of all, we decided to keep it professional and just be friends." She paused and glared at Lydia. "And finally, there's nothing wrong with my outfit! Jeans say laid back best friend, and this top is cute!"

"You should've worn a skirt," Lydia said with a smirk. Sadie rolled her eyes, and glanced at the sheriff, ready to ask what was going on.

"I think she looks beautiful," Derek said softly from the doorway. Sadie bit her lip and smiled at him, looking quickly at the ground as her cheeks flushed.  
"Seriously? Derek, you are stealing all my lines!" Stiles whined, leaning his elbows on the exam table. The sheriff rolled his eyes at his son and sighed.  
"Ok, someone wanna tell me why you've dragged me and agent Sheldon out here?" 

Stiles, Scott and Lydia all looked at each other, and them stared pointedly at the table in the corner. Sadie frowned and crouched, gasping when she realized what she was looking at. A fawn was cowering under the table, pressed as close to the wall as possible. It flinched when Derek moved towards it, it's eyes flickering between him and for some reason Scott.  
"A deer, really?" The sheriff asked exasperatedly. No one answered, so Derek stepped closer, causing the fawn to bleat in fear. Sadie couldn't take it anymore.  
"Derek, stop!" She hissed, moving in between him and the fawn. "You and Scott need to go out into the waiting room." She demanding, pointing towards the chairs by the front desk. Ignoring the awed looks of everyone else, she turned back to the baby. Dropping back to her hands and knees, she crawled under the table slowly. The fawn continued to cower, but after a few minutes, it sniffed Sadie's outstretched hand. With a bit of coaxing, Sadie soon had the fawn walking towards her. It was then she realized why the teens had called her. Blood was dripping from the fawn's side. Something was off. 

Sadie gently scooped the little one into her arms, giggling as it nuzzled its head against her neck. She crawled out from under the table, enjoying the amazed looks of Scott and Derek from the waiting room.  
"Does anyone know where the sedative is in here? Where's the vet?" She asked quietly, stroking the deer's back to keep it calm.  
"Can I come back in there?" Scott asked hesitantly. Sadie nodded, tightening her grip on the fawn when it tensed in Scott's presence. He returned quickly with a small needle. "Do you want me to inject it?" He asked. Sadie shook her head and took the syringe from him.  
"I got it." She said softly, pinching a fold of the fawns neck skin. "1, 2, 3." She counted under her breath, quickly injecting the sedative on three. The fawn struggled in her arms momentarily, before falling unconscious.

Sadie laid the fawn on the table, checking to see that it was indeed a female. Everyone gathered around, staring down at the slumbering animal.  
"No animal did that." Sheriff Stilinski finally said.  
"What is that symbol?" Lydia asked, tracing it with her finger on the table.  
"A solar cross," Derek and Sadie said together, smiling awkwardly at each other.  
"Wow, ok. That was weird. What does it mean?" Stiles asked, pushing a hand through his hair.  
"It represents the solar calendar," Derek said quietly, reaching his hand out and gently stroking the fawns neck. Sadie could've sworn it shivered in its sleep.  
"The real question, it why would someone put it on a baby deer." Scott said slowly, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.  
"How did you even find her?" The sheriff asked, eying his son suspiciously.  
"Don't look at me!" Stiles insisted, pointing instead at Scott.  
"I was closing up for Deaton, and I went in the back to feed the other pets, and when I came out... She was here." Scott explained, a perplexed look on his handsome face. An idea suddenly occurred to Sadie, so she pulled out her phone and opened up the moon phase tracker she had downloaded. The following night the moon would be full.  
"I'll have to add this to my list of freaky things that happen around the full moon." She muttered, shoving her phone back into her pocket. No one said a word, but she didn't miss the look they all shared. She narrowed her eyes but chose to ignore it. Instead she pulled on some latex gloves, filled a bowl with warm water at the wash station, and grabbed a wash cloth. Carrying it over to the table, she began to wash the blood off the fawn. Once she was clean, Sadie was able to see the extent of the wounds. The scratches weren't that deep, and she figured they could just bandage it up.  
"Scott, do you have disinfectant, some gauze pads, and that medical wrap stuff that makes a soft cast?" She asked, glancing up from the deer and realizing everyone was staring at her open mouthed. "Can you guys quit looking at me like I have three heads? God." She shook her head, but smiled at Scott when he slid the supplies to her. Within minutes the fawn was all fixed up, gauze held tight by a bright pink bandage wound around her middle. "I think I'm gonna call her Ida." She announced, grinning at Stiles who was looking at her like she was the only woman left on earth.  
"What are we going to do with her?" Lydia asked, looking to Scott for an answer.  
"I'm taking her home." Sadie said quickly, disposing of her gloves and walking over to the sink to wash her hands. "Sheriff, would you mind bringing me home?" She glanced over at the sheriff, only to have Derek step into her view.  
"I'll bring you home." He said in a quiet, yet authoritative tone. Sadie fought the urge to roll her eyes, even though the butterflies had returned to her stomach. She hadn't forgotten about the thing with his eyes, or how Ida was afraid of him, but she was still drawn to him. Scott seemed surprised by Derek's actions, and was now watching Sadie curiously. Lydia and Stiles were grinning at each other, obviously coming to their own conclusions.  
"Scott, I'll need you to just finish filling out this incident report with me, okay?" Sheriff Stilinski said, motioning Scott over to what appeared to be Dr. Deaton's desk. 

Sadie gathered Ida up in her arms, and looked at Derek.  
"Ready?" She asked. He nodded, so she followed him out, winking at Lydia as she passed. She was pleasantly surprised when Derek opened the car door for her, and then helped her climb in.  
"You good?" He asked her softly.  
"Actually um, could you um," she twisted her body so her back was facing him. "Can you grab my gun?" Derek nodded, and she had to hold in a moan at the feel of his fingers against her skin. It sent a shiver through her that had her wanting to lean into his touch. All too quickly he pulled the gun out of her waistband, and Sadie settled back into her seat. Derek was looking at her as if he knew her heart was racing in her chest, but that would be impossible. He slipped the pistol into her purse and gently closed the door.

"Can you stop at the twenty four hour cvs? I should've had Scott give me some milk replacer and stuff." Sadie asked quietly as they drove towards her apartment. Derek nodded, his eyes still focused on the road ahead of them. Ida was starting to wake up, and snuggled sleepily into Sadie's arms. Derek pulled into the cvs parking lot and turned off the car.  
"I'll take her," he offered, reaching his hands out for the fawn. Sadie lifted Ida and gently placed her in Derek's arms, trying not to think about the deer's previous aversion to him.  
"I'll be right back!" She chirped, hopping out of the car and racing into the store. She grabbed a pack of diapers, a small can of milk replacer and a cheap baby bottle. She piled the supplies on the counter, tapping her foot impatiently as the cashier slowly rang her out.  
"That'll be twenty five ninety nine," he drawled finally, sluggishly bagging the items, ignoring Sadie's outstretched hand. He took the cash from her and counted out the change. Twice. Ripping the receipt from the register he slowly handed both to her. Sadie fought the urge to rip it from his hand, smiling tightly at him as she grabbed the bag and headed out the door. 

"I swear to god if that guy moved any slower," she complained as she climbed in, stopping short at the sight before her. Ida was awake, her little head tucked up under Derek's chin. Derek had a look of pure joy on his face as he looked down on the deer. He grinned at Sadie as she closed the door, and she immediately knew she was a goner. There was no denying that she wanted him. She could feel it in her bones.

"Here, I'll carry this stuff in for you," Derek offered as he parked in front of Sadie's apartment building.  
"Oh it's okay, I can manage." Sadie insisted, attempting to grab her purse and shopping bag while holding onto Ida. Derek shook his head and smirked at her.  
"Sadie. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to." Her name on his lips had her blushing.  
"Okay," she said sheepishly, watching as he hopped out of the car and walked around the other side to help her out. "Thank you Derek, for everything." She smiled up at him as he stood over her, gathering her purse and bag and helping her out. He didn't respond, instead just followed her up the stairs. 

Sadie cradled Ida in one arm and punched her code in with the other.  
"You can just put that stuff on the counter," she said softly, setting Ida gently on the floor and flicking on the lights. Derek did as she asked, leaving them both standing in awkward silence. Sadie wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. "Um, would you like something to drink? Water? Coke? Beer?" She grabbed a can of bud light from the fridge for herself, cracking it open and taking a long sip.  
"I'll have some water if that's okay?" Derek said quietly. Sadie nodded and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and tossing it to him. He caught the bottle with ease, smiling in thanks at her. She was having trouble comprehending the fact that the single most attractive male she had ever met was now standing in her kitchen at 12:30 in the morning. "How'd you know how to bandage her up? Or how me and Scott were the ones she was afraid of?" 

Sadie glanced up to see that Derek had shrugged out of his leather jacket, and was now settled into one of the stools at her counter. She shrugged and started mixing up some formula for Ida.  
"Well, my grandparents live on a farm, and I spent a lot of time there growing up... So I learned how to take care of basic animal stuff." She paused and shook the bottle vigorously, before setting it in a pot. Turning on the hot water in the sink, she filled the pot up, letting the bottle float in order to warm up the formula. "And I could see her eyes looking between you and Scott... I don't really know why. I mean you, I could see, but Scott doesn't really give of that vibe..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Derek asked with a chuckle, a look of mock hurt on his handsome face. Sadie blushed as she thought back over her words.  
"Um well uh, you're like big and you kind of have like a predatory vibe sometimes... Oh my god I'm just digging myself a bigger hole here." She ducked her head and grabbed the package of diapers, ripping it open and pulling one out.

"Sadie, I'm just teasing you." Derek's voice was gentle, and Sadie looked up to find him watching her from beneath his lashes again. She allowed her gaze to linger on him, taking in his tight burgundy colored Henley, and divinely muscled neck. She found her self wanting to walk around the counter, push herself between those long legs and kiss every inch of him. When her eyes finally met his again, he was smirking at her, as if he could read her mind. She shook her head slightly and smiled, before crouching down to be on level with Ida. The fawn licked at her face, making Sadie giggle as she put the diaper on her. Grabbing a pair of scissors from a drawer, she cut a slit in the top of the diaper and pulled the fawns' tiny little tail through the hole. 

"Perfect!" She said mostly to herself, standing up with a pleased expression.  
"Never thought I'd see a deer wearing a diaper," Derek said, a smirk still on his face.  
"Whenever my grandma had to bottle feed a baby goat, she'd always keep it in the house and put a diaper on it... Goats aren't all the easy to potty train." Sadie smiled at the memory.

She turned and pulled the bottle of milk replacer out of the hot water and dripped a few droplets onto her wrist. The temperature was perfect, so she wiped the bottle dry.  
"Wanna feed her?" She asked Derek, who nodded hesitantly. "Ok, come here." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him up from the stool. He followed her into the living room, where she pointed at the floor in front of the couch. Derek sat slowly, looking slightly confused as Sadie handed him the bottle. She chuckled under her breath as she gently picked up Ida, who had followed them. Kneeling in front of Derek, she settled the fawn into his lap, even taking his free hand and placing in on the deer. She looked up to tell him to try and give Ida the bottle, suddenly realizing how close their faces were. His breath was warm on her lips and she watched as those green eyes flickered to her mouth. 

Sadie bit her lip, a feeling of almost pride coming over her when Derek visibly gulped in reaction. Her heart was urging her to lean in that extra inch and kiss him, while her mind was screaming at her to run.  
"So um, you have to try to get her to drink," Sadie's voice came out huskier than she intended, immediately betraying her emotions. She sat back on her heels and watched as Derek pushed the nipple of the bottle at Ida. The fawn didn't quite get it, and kept moving her mouth away from the bottle. "Here, let me try." Sadie gently took the bottle from Derek, purposefully letting her fingers linger against his a moment longer than necessary. Avoiding his eyes, she slowly coaxed Ida to suck on one of her fingers, eventually replacing it with the nipple. Once the fawn tasted the milk, she really got into it. Derek chuckled at the sight of her little tail wagging frantically back and forth as she sucked down the milk. Sadie handed him back the bottle and pushed herself up off the floor.  
"I'm gonna go figure out where she's going to sleep, ok?" Derek nodded in response, watching Ida drink with a look of wonder on his face. 

Sadie's heart clenched in her chest as she headed towards her bedroom. She rummaged around for an empty box in the piles of stuff she still had to unpack. Maybe tomorrow she would have time to get a little more settled in. Well today really. She found a box with just a couple of shirts in it and dumped it into the laundry basket beside her bed. While she searched for a towel or something to put in the box, her thoughts drifted to Derek. There was just something about him. The way he made her feel reminded her of the cattle dogs that her grandparents had at the farm. To a stranger they were scary, menacing, even predatory, but they were fiercely loyal, and Sadie always felt safe with them by her side. She wondered if maybe she was just trying to justify that instinctual feeling in the back of her mind that Derek was dangerous. The way the fawn had reacted to him was strange. But now, Ida seemed to be completely fine with him. 

Sadie sighed and placed the towel she had found inside the box. Looking around her room she decided to put Ida's makeshift bed underneath her desk. This way the fawn would still feel like she was hidden, but Sadie would be able to see her from her bed. In the morning she'd have to call her grandmother and see if she could get some milk from her, and maybe even a proper bottle. She slid Ida's bed beneath her desk and headed back out into the living room.

She paused in the entryway,  
"Damn you Derek hale." She whispered, slowly moving towards him. He had fallen asleep, his chin resting against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around the fawn. Ida's head rested in the crook of Derek's elbow, some drops of milk still visible on her nose as she slept. The bottle lay empty on the floor beside them. In contrast Sadie's heart was full. She had never seen anything that had made her more attracted to a man in her entire life. And Derek did it without even trying. 

She glanced at her clock, surprised to see that it was past one in the morning now. She picked the bottle up off the floor and walked to the kitchen with it. She proceeded to wash it out, and then mixed up another batch of formula for the morning. After placing the bottle in fridge, she went back to wake up Derek. She paused and watched him sleep for a minute. He looked so peaceful, the usual slightly tortured expression he wore gone from his face. _It's stupid to be jealous of a deer you know..._ She hated her inner monologue sometimes. Sighing she walked up to him, shaking his shoulder gently.  
"Derek," she whispered, watching with awe as his eyelids fluttered, revealing his beautiful green eyes. As he focused in on her, she was surprised to see the genuine smile that danced across his lips.  
"Hi," he whispered, biting his lip as he stared up at her.  
"I would've let you sleep but it's really late and..."  
"It's ok Sadie, relax." 

Sadie wrinkled her nose at him and gently lifted the sleeping fawn into her own arms. Derek picked himself up off the floor in one smooth move that Sadie was pretty sure she never could've accomplished. He followed her into her bedroom, his footsteps quieter than seemed possible. Sadie knelt in front of her desk and placed Ida in her little makeshift bed. The fawn stretched and snuggled into the towel, immediately falling back asleep. 

When Sadie turned around, she was met with the sight of Derek watching her from the door way.  
"Are you going to bring her to work with you?" He asked, his gaze shifting from Sadie to the deer.  
"I've gotta call agent McCall tomorrow and see what he says... If not I'll see of the vet can take her during the day... Or maybe my grandma. I dunno." She ran a hand through her hair, suddenly exhausted.  
"If you need me to, I can take care of her." Derek said almost shyly.  
"Really?" Sadie tried not to smirk at him. He just nodded at her, a small smile on his face. It all of a sudden occurred to Sadie that they were standing in her bedroom, and that she could ask him to stay the night. She was a grown ass woman after all. As his gaze traveled over her body, she debated walking up to him, grabbing a handful of his shirt and just dragging him onto her bed. Her pulse jumped at the idea, but she shook it off. "Um, are you alright to drove home? Did you want to stay here? I mean, um you can if you want..." She trailed off as Derek's eyes darkened slightly. He reached up and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers then trailing over her shoulder and down her arm. Sadie froze, her eyes locked on his as an almost sad look crossed his face.  
"I need to go home," he whispered. "Thank you though." He averted his eyes and headed back into the kitchen. As he pulled his jacket back on, Sadie managed to force herself to move back out there with him. Her blood was rushing in her ears, and all she could think about was his touch. Spotting her unfinished beer on the counter, she grabbed it and chugged the rest down.  
"Am I driving you to drink already?" Derek teased, that beautiful smile gracing his features again.  
"Among other things," Sadie flirted back, amazed that she was actually able to be slightly witty for once around him. Derek chuckled and stepped closer to her again, this time his fingers hooking through the belt loops on her jeans.  
"So um, call me if you need me to come pick up Ida... Even if you need a break at work or something." He said softly. Sadie tried to control herself in this close of proximity.  
"I feel like you're my baby daddy right now," she blurted with a giggle, immediately turning red and regretting her words. To her surprise Derek tugged her up against him, his lips at her ear.  
"Give it a couple of years, we've gotta practice first, " he whispered huskily, before releasing her and walking to the door.

As Sadie thought through his words, and comprehension slowly dawned on her, her jaw dropped. She was a mixture of horniness and embarrassment, and she was pretty sure her entire body was turning bright red. Derek smirked at her one last time before letting himself out. Mustering all of the courage she possessed Sadie raced to the door and yanked it open.  
"We can practice anytime. Any place!" She yelled at his back. He paused for a moment before glancing back at her over his shoulder. She could've sworn his eyes glowed blue for a second as he grinned cockily at her. He didn't need to say a word, it was written clearly on his face. He wanted her.


	6. The House That Built Me

"You said what to him?." Sadie was on the phone with her best friend, Hannah.   
"I told him that we could practice anytime he wanted," Sadie whispered, her cheeks flaming red at the memory.   
"Practice baby making?" Hannah was clearly close to loosing it.  
"Yes," Sadie muttered, holding the phone away from her ear as her friend burst into loud laughter. "You're not helping," she growled into the phone, only inciting additional giggles. She glanced in the rear view mirror at Ida, who was sleeping in the back seat of the car. She hoped that she would be able to keep the little fawn healthy. You were always gambling when taking in wild animals, it was not their nature to be domesticated.   
"I can't believe you actually said that," Hannah gasped. "You never do that kind of thing!"

"I know... I know," Sadie shook her head at herself. "I think I was over tired or something."  
"Or over horny!"   
"Hannah!" She squealed as she turned onto her grandparents driveway.   
"Lighten up Sadie! You obviously want a taste of this bad boy." Sadie could tell from her voice that Hannah was smirking at the phone.   
"Oh my god."   
"Plus, with all the stuff with Ryan, you need a distraction."   
"I dunno Hannah, I'm not good at one night stands! Plus, there's something about this guy... I feel like he could be a bad decision." Sadie's grandparents' house came into view, and she parked in front of the barn.   
"Girl, you need some bad decisions." Hannah had definitely been waiting to use that line.  
"Per usual, you have not helped my situation at all."   
"You love me though!"   
"For some reason.... I gotta go Hann, I'll text you later."   
"Love you!"  
"Love you more!" She hung up the phone and climbed out of her car, tucking the phone into the pocket of her jean shorts. She slid her seat forward and gently lifted Ida out of the back. Once her feet touched the green grass, the fawn started bouncing around happily. 

"Hey punk!" Sadie's grandpa emerged from the barn, wearing his signature faded jeans, suspenders and a burnt orange t-shirt.  
"Hey gramp!" Sadie jogged over to him and gave him a hug. His familiar smell of chewing tobacco, old spice and fresh hay washed over her, immediately giving her a sense of peace.   
"Who's this little guy?" Her grandfather asked, looking behind Sadie. Sadie turned her head, realizing that Ida had been following at her heels.   
"Oh this is Ida! Did gram tell you I was coming?" Sadie lifted Ida up so that her grandpa could see the fawn.   
"That woman doesn't tell me anything." Her grandpa's voice was gruff, but his eyes twinkled. Sadie knew that Mary Beth, her grandmother, was the only woman he had ever loved.   
"Well I was wondering if I could get some milk from you guys, and maybe some bottles from gram."   
"Well come on then, let's get you set up." 

Sadie followed her grandfather into the barn, her eyes taking a minute to adjust to the cool darkness. They walked through the empty free stall area, through the milking parlor, and into her grandfathers office. He dug some slightly dusty half gallon mason jars out from under a pile of ratty sweatshirts and handed them to Sadie.  
"Wash these out in the milk room," he instructed, a small smile on his face as he watched Ida follow Sadie's every footstep. Sadie took the bottles with a grin and headed for the milk room. Every fiber of her being was flooded with nostalgia, god she had missed this place. The bleating of calves floated in through the window above the sink, reminding her of the summers she spent here with her grandparents, waking up at the crack of dawn to milk cows, and spending her days exploring on horse back. "Bring those bottles over here now punk." Her grandfathers voice pulled her from her thoughts. She carried the bottles over to the milk tank and knelt on the concrete floor beside the release valve. Under her grandpa's watchful gaze she carefully filled the mason jars with fresh, cold milk.   
"Thanks gramps!" She said cheerfully as she pushed herself to her feet. "This oughta last us a while."   
"Anytime punk, let's go find your grandmother." Gramps grabbed one of the jars and tightened the lid as he slowly walked out of the barn. Sadie picked up the other two bottles and followed after him, Ida finishing up their little train. After putting the milk in the cooler Sadie had brought with her, she found her grandmother hanging laundry on the clothesline.   
"Get your gorgeous little butt over here and give your grandmother a kiss!" Sadie looked at her grandfather, who rolled his eyes and headed towards his tractor with a smirk.  
"Hey gram," Sadie grinned as she neared the clothesline, sighing as her grandmother wrapped her arms around her. There just something about a hug from a grandma that makes everything in the world right.   
"Lemme look at you," her grandmother demanded, holding Sadie at arms length. Sadie smirked down at her gram, who seemed to be examining her at length. "You've got yourself a boyfriend haven't you honey?"   
"What! No!" Sadie denied, even as Derek's face appeared in her mind. Which of course, made her flush.   
"Oh there's definitely a man in your life. You are happier than I've seen you in months Sadie!" As usual, her grandmother seemed to be able to see right through her.  
"It must be Ida, she's great!" Sadie tried to lie convincingly, picking up Ida and cuddling her to her face.  
"You're about as good a liar as your father Sadie Sheldon, spill." Gram gave Sadie a stern look and continued to hang laundry. Sadie sighed and sunk into the grass, a dreamy look coming over her face.   
"Well, I did meet this guy..." She said slowly, staring off into the distance.  
"What's his name?" Gram asked, shaking a towel out before pinning it to the line.   
"Derek," his name was thick on her tongue, and it caused her grandmother to actually smirk at her.   
"Is that so? Tell me about him." Sadie sighed again and twisted a lock of hair around her fingers.  
"So, I literally ran into him on Friday at the sheriffs station, and he was just so..."  
"Hot." Her grandmother supplied, and Sadie gasped in shock.  
"Gram!" She admonished, tossing a handful of grass at her.  
"Excuse me young lady, but you got your appreciation of good looking men from me, so get over it. Now tell me what her looks like!" 

Sadie stared at her for a few moments before shaking her head and continuing.  
"He's tall, with dark hair, and green eyes, and these really striking eyebrows. And he's got this really great stubble on his cheeks, and big arms, and he's got this kind of bad boy vibe. But..."  
"But what? Sounds delicious to me." Gram said dryly, her hands on her hips as she stared down at Sadie.  
"I dunno, there's just something there. He reminds me of Buddy." She motioned towards the cattle dog snoozing in the sun. "I feel completely and utterly safe when I'm with him, but there's this instinctual feeling that he's dangerous, you know?" She looked up at her grandmother, who was looking back patiently.  
"Honey, if he makes you feel safe, you have nothing to worry about." Gram said finally with a smile. Sadie smiled back, digging her cell phone out when it started ringing. Derek's name was flashing across the screen, and her stomach clenched in response. She scrambled to her feet and booked it around the corner of the house, hiding from her gram.  
"Hello?" She said breathlessly, leaning against the side of the house.   
"Sadie. How's our girl?" Derek's voice sent tingles down Sadie's spine.  
"Oh she's good, she's with me at my grandparents farm right now." Sadie answered quickly, her belly filled with butterflies.   
"Yeah, I liked that picture you sent me of her in the car..."  
"Mmm she's so cute huh?" Sadie was feeling kind of awkward, not really sure where this was going.   
"Next time you can send me a picture of you instead." Sadie found herself giggling girlishly in response, her face flushing.  
"Derek! You're always teasing me, but you don't tease anyone else!" She whined.  
"Who else would I tease? Scott? Stiles?"   
"Well yeah!"  
"For some reason, hearing Scott giggle and making stiles blush doesn't do anything for me." Derek's voice was slightly husky, and Sadie could imagine his handsome face grinning as he held the phone.  
"And I do something for you?" Sadie asked, amazed by the seductive tone she had managed to pull out of her ass.  
"Sadie Sheldon!" She just about jumped out of her skin as her grandmother appeared beside her. "Are you talking to that sexy young man you were telling me about?" Derek burst into laughter in the other end as Sadie glared at her grandmother.   
"Oh my god," she muttered, shaking her head as her grandmother grinned evilly at her. "I gotta go Derek, bye." She grumbled, hanging up and continuing to glare at her gram.   
"Oh come on hon, a girl's gotta have some fun!" Gram teased, leading a grumpy Sadie into her house.   
"This is so embarrassing gram!" Sadie whined, leaning against the counter.  
"You'll survive, and now he knows how you feel!"  
"He already knows!" She hissed, instantly regretting that slip.  
"Oh really?" And of course gram caught that, turning around with a hand on her hip. Sadie just shrugged and averted her gaze. "Aw come on Sadie, I'm living through you."  
"Ugh gram! Last night, I kind of awkwardly let him know that I thought he well, no I um er kind of told him that well in not so many words that I thought he was really hot."   
"What did you actually say?"   
"Oh my god, basically I told him that I'd enjoy sleeping with him." Sadie buried her burning face in her hands, surprised by her grandmothers out burst of laughter.   
"You must really like this guy Sadie," she eventually said with a chuckle. "You've always been so reserved."  
"I think I'm going off the deep end," she muttered, shoving a cookie in her mouth for consolation. She swallowed her mouthful. "And he's about to push me off the diving board."


	7. Mix Tape Straight Out of 94

When she got home, Sadie had unpacked the remaining boxes of her belongings. Her new apartment was finally starting to feel like a home. And Ida was making it even better.  
"You know what little lady? I think I'm gonna make me some strawberry shortcake!" She rubbed her hands together and piled her hair onto the top of her head. Her gram had sent her home with a giant basket of fresh strawberries. Standing on her tip toes Sadie pulled the cook book her mom had given her when she moved to college. She flipped through the handwritten pages, weighing the pages down with her glass of wine. "Let's get some tunes in this joint." She muttered, plugging her iPod into the speakers on her counter. 

As music started blasting, Sadie began measuring ingredients for the shortcakes into a mixing bowl. She sang and danced to the music as she worked, happy to have her hands busy. Ida watched her from her spot on the kitchen rug, looking cuter than ever with those giant deer ears. Once she slid the shortcakes into the oven, she decided to warm up a bottle for Ida. After plopping a bottle into a bowl of warm water, she filled the sink with sudsy water to wash the dishes.  
"She looks so perfect standing there in my American apparel underwear, and i know now, that I'm so down!" She sang loudly with five seconds of summer, swinging her hips and bobbing her head. "If I showed up with a plane ticket, And a shiny diamond ring with your name on it. Would you wanna run away too?" She spun around to sing to Ida. "Cause all I really want is you!" 

Her eyes widened and she screeched, clutching at her chest. She stumbled over her feet as her body continued in the way of her dance moves. Derek's strong arms caught her once again, cradling her against his chest.  
"Derek! You scared me!" She smacked his chest with the wooden spoon she was holding, trying not to show how much she enjoyed the feel of his hands on her.  
"You really need to watch where you're going princess," Derek teased, flashing those pearly whites at her.  
"You! Ugh! First of all! Princess? Really?" Sadie blubbered, causing Derek to raise an eyebrow. "And, how did you get in here?" She finished, fighting between the urge to rest her hands against his chest and the need to break away from him.  
"You left your door unlocked," Derek answered simply, running his tongue slowly across his teeth.  
"So you just came in!?" Sadie hissed, moving to smack him again with the spoon. To her surprise he grabbed her curled hand, stopping her. His fingers slowly trailed over her wrist and down her bare arm to her elbow. His green eyes were hooded, and his breaths slow, causing Sadie to gulp. Desire pooled low in her abdomen as she stared back at him. Derek cocked his head slightly and smirked, tugging her flush against him.  
"I knocked," he whispered, brushing her face with one hand. "But you couldn't hear me over all the craziness you got going on in here." He ended with a chuckle and Sadie glared at him. She gave a resounding harrumph and pushed against him, breaking his hold. "And according to your shirt, you're looking for a prince, so I assumed you were a princess..." 

Sadie looked down at herself and flushed, embarrassed at what she was wearing. Her cut off shorts were a little too short and her tank top read 'I need a prince in the streets' on the front in curvy, Disney style script.  
"I wasn't expecting visitors!" She hissed, backing slowly away from him so that he wouldn't be able to see what the back of her shirt said.  
"Do you want me to leave?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking at her as if he already knew the answer.  
"No," she murmured, refusing to meet his eyes.  
"What was that?" He teased, cupping his ear in one hand. She rolled her eyes and continued backing over to the sink, testing the temperature of bottle of milk on her wrist. She took a moment to realize how spectacularly sexy Derek looked this afternoon. He was wearing dark slim cut jeans that framed his body just right, and a tight gray wife beater. His arms were out of this world, and what she could see of his chest and neck was making her mouth water.  
"You're just in time to feed our daughter," Sadie said lightly, walking back over to Derek and handing him the bottle. He smiled widely at her and grabbed the fawn in his arms.  
"How's my baby girl?" He cooed as Ida licked at his face. Once again Sadie found herself jealous of the fawn. She sighed and walked back around the counter and got started cutting up strawberries. 

Derek was settled on the couch, with Ida happily drinking her bottle in his lap. Sadie watched them from her kitchen, humming along with Lana Del Ray and slicing strawberries.  
"I'm you national anthem, god you're so handsome, take me to the Hamptons, Bugatti Veyron," she sang under her breath, popping a piece of strawberry in her mouth. What is he even doing here, she thought to herself. _Maybe he likes you?_ Her stomach lurched at the thought, and she found herself grinning. She stared down at the cutting board in order to hide it from Derek, sampling another strawberry while she was at it. When she looked up again, Derek had somehow silently made his way into the stool directly in front of her. He was smirking at her, a slightly befuddled look on his face.  
"What?" She asked, using her one clean finger, her left pinky, to turn down the music. It was difficult to focus on Brantley Gilbert and Derek at the same time. Derek shook his head,  
"Been sampling the merchandise?" He asked, his fingers brushing his own lips.  
"Huh?" Sadie asked, popping another strawberry in her mouth. "Oh." She glanced at her fingers, which were stained red, realizing that her lips were probably bright red too. "Want one?" She asked, holding a piece of fruit out towards him. He opened his mouth, obviously wanting her to feed him. "Really Derek?"  
"Please?" He begged, opening his mouth again. Sadie groaned and placed the strawberry gently against his tongue. She gasped when his hand closed around her wrist, and his lips sucked on her finger tips. His green eyes were almost glowing as he looked up at her from beneath his lashes. Sadie was pretty sure that her panties were immediately soaked. It was as if he had a direct line to her libido. 

Derek gently released her wrist, that all-knowing smirk on his face. Sadie cleared her throat and turned her beat red face down, staring at the cutting board as she finished slicing. She could feel Derek's eyes on her but she ignored him, trying to calm her racing heart and raging sex drive. After dumping the sliced berries into a bowl, she turned around and placed the cutting board in the sink. Derek chuckled softly, and she glared at him over her shoulder.  
"What's so funny?" She growled, carrying the tub of sugar over to the counter. She scooped some on top of the strawberries.  
"A beast in the sheets huh?" Derek's eyes were full of humor, but the rest of his expression remained emotionless.  
"Like I said, I wasn't expecting you!" Sadie moaned, covering her eyes. "And it's a beauty and the beast reference, okay!" 

The timer on the oven pierced the air, and Sadie jumped for it, grateful for the distraction. She pulled the shortcakes out of the oven and set the tray on the stovetop to cool off.  
"Holy smokes! Were you making all those for yourself?" Derek asked, his eyes wide as he took in all the cakes.  
"Well, no." Sadie muttered, stirring the sugar in with the berries and again avoiding his gaze.  
"Why are you blushing now?" He asked gently, "that shouldn't have been an embarrassing question." His voice was soft now. Sadie felt his thumb under her chin, and he pulled her chin up to look into her eyes.  
"I was going to bring some to you..." Sadie hesitantly looked up into his face. Derek was grinning proudly at her.  
"Oh Sadie," Sadie swore his eyes darkened a shade. "What are you doing to me?" 

Sadie stared into his eyes, getting lost in their depths. He reached across the counter and cupped her cheek in one of his large hands. Instinctively Sadie nuzzled against him, a small sigh escaping through her parted lips.  
"I'm so glad you are clumsy as all hell and ran into me," Derek teased, causing Sadie to jerk away from him with a glare.  
"Ugh, why don't you just eat some strawberry short cake and shut your mouth!" She suggested, plopping a cake onto a plate and piling berries and cool whip on top. Derek shook his head, but eagerly took the plate from her. Sadie made herself a small plate and settled into the stool beside Derek. She carefully scooped equal parts pastry and strawberries onto her spoon and slowly placed it into her mouth. Beside her Derek let out an appreciative moan, and unsurprisingly the sound turned her on. Sadie wondered if she could make him make that sound in bed.  
"Princess, this is fucking off the charts!"  
Sadie almost choked on her food.  
"Language! There's a child in the room!" She giggled, causing Derek to laugh along with her.  
"Does your apartment count as the street or the sheets? Cause I'm pretty sure a beast is allowed to cuss..." Derek said innocently, his eyes, as usual, the only windows to his emotions. Sadie's mouth flopped open, as she attempted to formulate a response to that. She considered just jumping on him and ripping his clothes off. To buy herself more time she shoveled some more shortcake into her mouth.  
"Wait," she said after a moment, "how come you even came here in the first place?" Derek swallowed, and flushed slightly beneath his stubble.  
"Well um, I saw Dr. Deaton today..."  
"The vet?"  
"Yeah, and he said that he would like if you brought Ida by so that he could take a look at her."  
"And?" Sadie tilted her head in a teasing manner as Derek's flush traveled down his neck.  
"And that's it." He snapped, turning away from her and shoveling another spoonful of dessert into his mouth.  
"So Deaton asked you to deliver this message to me? He couldn't just, I dunno, give me a phone call?" Sadie pressed on, her confidence growing due to the apparent turning of the tables. She let her fingers rest on top of Derek's forearm. He stared at her hand, his eyes slowly traveling up her arm until the came to her face.  
"I volunteered," he whispered huskily.  
"Why would you do something like that?" Sadie asked innocently, tracing patterns on Derek's skin. She could almost feel the electric currents that ran between them. Derek smirked at her, and grabbed the edge of her stool. He dragged her closer to him before reaching up and pushing the locks of hair that had escaped her messy bun behind her ears. Sadie's breath caught in her throat as she stared wide-eyed back at this handsome enigma of a man.  
"Maybe," he said softly, leaning his face towards her, "I just wanted to see-" his phone rang loudly in his pocket, causing Derek to swear under his breath. "What is it Scott?" He hissed into the phone, obviously not pleased with the interruption.  
"They're here." Sadie could hear Scott through the phone, and watched as Derek tensed almost invisibly.  
"They're dangerous, please don't do anything stupid." His voice was low and serious as he pushed up and off the stool. Sadie was mesmerized by the way Derek pushed a large hand through that thick, dark hair. She yearned to run her own hands through it as she kissed him.  
"That's why I need you." She could still hear Scott. Derek sighed in response, a look of determination mixed with resignation crossing his face.  
"Be there in ten." He murmured, hanging up immediately. He grabbed her from her stool and dragged her up against him in a hug. In a moment of boldness Sadie placed her arms around his neck, pressing her body firmly up against him. She laid her cheek against his chest and sighed as his hands slid up and down her back. 

All too quickly he released her and walked briskly to the door.  
"I'm picking Ida up from your work tomorrow." He announced over his shoulder, before winking at Sadie and closing the door behind him.


	8. Pretty Woman, Walking Down the Street

Sadie awoke with a belly full of butterflies. Derek was going to visit her at work today. Last night she hadn't been able to get him off her mind. The way his eyes darkened when he looked at her, the way his words seemed to wrap around her like a warm blanket, he mesmerized her. She now stood staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her long strawberry blonde hair fell halfway down her back in a shimmering waterfall of gold. She painstakingly lined her lids with black eyeliner, and swiped on mascara to lengthen her lashes. As a finishing touch she rubbed dark pink lipstick onto her lips. Once back in her bedroom, Sadie pulled on a pair of spanks in order to smooth her stomach. She had been blessed with voluptuous curves, but that meant that she tended to be curvy everywhere else as well. When she was in high school she had hated her body, but during college she had learned how to dress, and had embraced it. Like they say, flaunt what you got. 

She stepped into a body hugging black dress, smoothing it over her hips. Ida watched from the doorway, looking as if she was confused. Maybe she wasn't used to seeing her mom all dressed up. Sadie's heels clicked on the wooden floor as she strode into the kitchen with Ida on her tail. She grabbed the bag she had put together for Derek off the counter and slung it over her shoulder. It contained all the essentials for Ida, bottles of milk and diapers, plus some strawberry shortcake for Derek. She felt kind of silly, dressing up like this just for him, but she couldn't help herself. It was liked she needed him to tell her she was pretty, to verbally confirm the signals he'd been sending. Lifting Ida with her free hand, Sadie headed out the door.

When she walked into the squad room, she was met by the appreciative stares of Cho and Stabler. Their looks then turned to confusion as they caught sight of the fawn, wearing a diaper, in her arms.  
"McCall mentioned something about a deer... I thought he was joking." Cho said with an eye roll, crossing his arms across his chest. Sadie smirked at him,  
"This is Ida, my new roommate." She sat behind her desk and booted up her computer. She could feel Stabler's stare on her, but she ignored it.   
"So... You dressed up for Johnson?" He finally inquired, coming to lean beside her against the desk. Sadie gave him a scathing look as she logged on.   
"No."   
"Then why you so fancy? How was your date?"   
"Maybe I just wanted to look nice!" She hissed. "And again, it wasn't a date. We both decided to just be friends, and I had a great time." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to continue to interrogate her.   
"Where does the deer come in?"   
"My cousin found her wounded. I decided to bring her home." 

Stabler seemed to think this over, his wheels visibly turning. Before he had a chance to ask anything else, McCall came breezing in.  
"Sheldon, what do you got?" He asked briskly.  
"Right, uh," Sadie gathered her papers off her desk and followed him to his desk. "It seems to me that the cycle of the moon has a lot to do with the crimes. I will have to do additional analysis to determine if it differs from the normal rise due to the full moon. There also seems to be a large number of files that look like they simply could have been animal accidents. Other than that, there's not a whole lot of commonalities that have popped at me so far." Sadie purposefully hid the glowing eyes thing from McCall. She needed to continue her discussion with the sheriff before she went any further down that path. McCall looked at her for a minute, and she began to get nervous under his gaze.   
"Okay Sheldon, good work. I'm gonna need you to start auditing the sheriffs departments financials now as well."  
"Yes sir." Sadie nodded and returned to her chair, trying to hide her smile as Ida nibbled on McCall's shoe laces. When she opened her email, she found she had a message from Sheriff Stilinski.

_Dear Agent Sheldon,_

_We never got to if with our discussion last week. I will be out of town today on a case, however i know that you are still curious. I have attached a research paper written by one of my son's lacrosse teammates. I believe that it may answer some of your questions. I suggest you read it tonight when you go home. I look forward to discussing it with you when I return on Wednesday._

_Thanks,  
Sheriff S._

Well that was interesting. Sadie wondered if she should just read the paper right now. She thought better of it though, not wanting Stabler to be reading over her shoulder. Some things were meant to be kept under wraps. With a sigh Sadie started going through the sheriff's department's financial documents and budget, searching for any errors or fraudulent acts. She had been trained as an auditor as well as a tax accountant. If there was anything Sadie knew better than animals, it was numbers. She loved patterns, routines and rules, and found herself oddly satisfied every time financial statements worked out perfectly. Going through business school and interning at a large corporation had helped her embrace her type A personality, pushing her into a perfect career: accounting. 

The mystery solving on the other hand was just something that Sadie found exciting. From the time she was in middle school, she had been almost obsessed with crime dramas on tv. Shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and Law and Order were her guilty pleasures, and she could be found binge watching them for hours. Similar to making numbers work, solving a mystery had the same kind of satisfactory effect on Sadie's psyche. Investigating finances with the FBI was truly her calling. 

Sadie had delved into the financial statements and lost track of time. A knock on the squad room door suddenly broke her concentration. She glanced at the door, her ears turning red at the sight of Derek on the other side. When Stabler didn't make a comment, she glanced at the desk beside her. To her surprise, his chair was empty. She hadn't noticed him get up. Brushing it off she pushed out of her chair and walked towards the door, Ida hot on her heels.   
"Hey," Derek greeted her as she pulled the door open.   
"Hi," she murmured, feeling shy with him in a public place. "I uh have some stuff for you in my car." She added, smiling easily up at him. He just smirked down at her and nodded. They turned and headed through the station, Sadie's heels clicking loudly on the tiled floor. 

Stabler was seated on the corner of deputy Johnson's desk, his arms crossed and a shit eating grin on his face. Johnson was staring too, looking slightly dejected. Sadie glared at them, not quite sure why they were even talking to each other. Stabler waggled his eyebrows, obviously getting his fill of material to torture her with this week.   
"Is everything alright?" Derek's breath was warm on her neck as he ducked his head and whispered in her ear. Sadie realized that she had slowed down in order to give Stabler a dirty look. She blushed and shook her head, grinning up at him as his hand came to rest on the small of her back. Derek grinned back and pushed open the station door. 

Ida and Derek both followed Sadie across the parking lot to her car.   
"You would drive a car like this." Derek said. She stared at her bright blue Subaru, trying to figure out if his voice was filled with admiration or disgust.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked as she flipped the seat forward to grab the bag for him. When she stood back up, Derek was standing so close.   
"It means," he said slowly, sliding his hands down her upper arms to her waist. "That beautiful girls like you," he paused and tugged her even closer to him. "Always should drive sexy cars like this." He whispered the last part directly into her ear. Sadie stared up at him as he looked down at her, and all she could think about was kissing him. She bit her bottom lip, not quite sure how to proceed. Derek however, seemed to have that under control. One of his hands slid up to the back of her neck, and he slowly leaned towards her, his eyes flickering between her own eyes and her lips. Sadie closed her eyes, filled with anticipation, blood rushing in her ears.  
"Sheldon!" Startled she jumped a foot in the air, and Derek immediately released her. She swore under her breath as she whipped around to find the source of the yelling. Stabler and Cho were leaning out the open squad room window, waving jollily at her. 

Sadie flipped them off and turned to Derek with a sigh. The moment had been ruined. An internal monologue of swears filled her head along with multiple ways that she would get back at those two idiots.  
"Well here's the stuff for Ida." She said, awkwardly holding the bag out to Derek. He took it from her with what Sadie imagined to be a slightly disappointed smile.  
"So, since Deaton wants to see her, I was thinking that you could meet me there when you're done with work?" Derek said as he scooped Ida up into his arms.   
"Sounds good," Sadie walked slowly alongside Derek as he headed for his car. They paused in front of it.  
"Say bye to mommy," Derek cooed to Ida, making Sadie giggle. She kissed Ida's furry little head gently. Standing on her tiptoes, she somehow found the courage to kiss Derek's cheek too.  
"Thanks," she whispered, biting her lip as he flushed slightly.   
"Anytime," he finally replied. Sadie smiled at him one last time, before turning and heading inside. 

By the time she got to the squad room she was ready to rip Stabler a new one. He was ready for her though, perched on the conference table in the middle of the room, waiting.   
"So that's why you dressed up?" He asked cheekily.  
"What is wrong with you?" She hissed at him, poking him roughly in the chest.   
"You really do like the dangerous ones huh?"  
"Why did you have to ruin my moment!"   
"I have a bad feeling about him."  
"He's fine!"   
"How do you know, did you do a background check?"  
"No! Why should I do that?"  
"Because you're an FBI agent!"  
"Oh for gods sake, Sheriff Stilinski seems to like him."  
"Oh please, like that-"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Cho yelled from his desk. Sadie and Stabler both snapped their jaws shut. "You two fight like a married couple." He grumbled, before turning back to his desk. Sadie sent one last glare at Stabler before flicking her hair over her shoulder and flopping into her desk chair. She stewed for the rest of the day, counting down the minutes until she could see Derek again. 

"I'm very interested in meeting Lydia's cousin..." Deaton said quietly. He and Derek were both in the back room of his practice, watching Ida explore. She was wary, and Derek had a feeling she was remembering the trauma of being here only a few nights earlier.

"Sadie's great," Derek murmured absently, trying to hide his growing anticipation. She had looked SO hot today. Like unbelievably sexy, and he wanted to believe it was all for him. 

"It certainly seems to be true, but I was more referring to her potential abilities. Lydia's immunity to the bite may run in the family." Deaton was smiling knowingly at Derek, and as usual seemed to be hiding something.

"Oh. Right. Well she seems pretty human to me." He grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. A car pulled up outside, and he recognized the sound of the engine as Sadie's Subaru. He could hear her heels clicking on the pavement, and her heart beating loudly. He longed to rest his head on her chest, and let the steady beat thrum him to sleep. 

"Hi baby!" Sadie squealed, and Derek glanced up, for a moment thinking she was talking to him. Ida scampered over to her, licking eagerly at her face. Derek's stomach dropped slightly in disappointment, but he fought it off.

"Hello Sadie, it's nice to finally meet you." Deaton spoke, holding out his hand. Sadie stood and shook it, a sweet smile on her face. 

"You too Dr. Deaton! Thanks for taking a look at our girl." Sadie chuckled slightly, coming to stand beside Derek, wrapping her arm around him. Derek grinned down at her and placed a hand on her waist, his spirits picking up greatly. 

"Ida looks healthy," Deaton continued, his eyes smiling down on the fawn who was rubbing up on Derek and Sadie's legs. "Scott tells me that you were the one who fixed her up Sadie, you did an excellent job." 

"Thank you," Sadie was blushing, her face turned towards the floor. "Do you think she'll be alright living with me?" 

So she didn't like attention on her. She was humble and beautiful. Derek chose to file this information in the back of his brain.

"Yes, for now she should be fine." Deaton smiled at Sadie as she sighed in relief. "However, I am going to look into finding a wildlife refuge or something that will take her. Wild animals cannot often be successfully tamed." The vet caught Derek's eye, a slight smile on his lips. Rolling his eyes Derek held in a frustrated sigh. If anybody could tame him, it was Sadie Sheldon. "I'm sorry Sadie." 

Derek wasn't surprised to see Sadie smiling. Even though her heart was beating a little faster in her chest, she handled herself well. 

"No need to apologize, doctor. I've known that all along." Derek caught the quiver of her lip before she stiffened it. Derek fought off his desire to pull her to his chest and nuzzle her neck. What was she doing to him? 

Derek didn't nuzzle. Derek didn't cuddle. Derek didn't comfort people. At least, not anymore he didn't. Once upon a time, many years ago, he was a normal, loving person. But now... 

"Derek? Everything ok?" Deaton was actually smirking, yes smirking, at him, as if he could read his thoughts. 

"Yup," Derek shook his head and released his hold on Sadie, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm good." He glared at Deaton, his lip curling slightly. 

"She'll be fine Derek, don't worry." Sadie's voice was kind, but the sparkle in her eyes and the way she bit her lip told him she was teasing him. 

"I'm not-" he tried to defend himself, but was distracted when she bent over to pick up Ida. That black dress was stretched tight across her ass, and he lost his train of thought. A primal urge surged through his veins, the voice inside his head telling, no demanding, that he toss her over his shoulder, haul her back to his loft, and make her his. 

Sadie straightened up and spun around, catching his gaze. 

"Really Derek?" She raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "Control yourself." She started towards the door, her hair flipped over her shoulder and Ida in her arms. "Thank you doctor, just let me know when you find a refuge." 

"Look Sadie I'm sorry," Derek hurried after her, trying his best not to stare at her butt. But it was big. And jiggly. And he wanted to grab it. Smack it. Bite it. "Damn it," he hissed, hanging back as she settled the fawn into her car.  
"Bye Derek," her voice was low, teasing, driving him crazy. In his head he wrapped her in his arms, pushing her down on the hood of her car. Instead he rolled his eyes, having the decency to look slightly sheepish.  
"Bye Sadie." He grumbled, dejectedly watching her drive away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!


	9. Can't Hide Those Lying Eyes

It was Tuesday night, and Danny Mahealani was sitting on Sadie's couch. When she had started reading the paper, she had been surprised to recognize the author. Danny's mom and Sadie's mom were best friends, and Danny had tagged along with Sadie and her younger brother when they were kids. Naturally, Sadie had decided to invite Danny over to talk. They each held a cup of tea, and they were discussing the paper he had written about Beacon Hills.   
"So you're telling me that there's supernatural creatures here." Sadie was incredulous, and not exactly sure why Sheriff Stilinski wanted her to talk to this kid. Danny nodded and grinned good naturedly.  
"I know it sounds crazy, but I'm pretty sure you know a couple." He chuckled. Sadie stared at him a minute, deciding if she really wanted to know this information, or if she would even believe it.  
"What do you know about glowing eyes?" She asked finally, setting her mug down on the coffee table.   
"Werewolves." Danny grinned as her jaw dropped. Her gears were turning now, and it kind of made sense. But she didn't want to believe it.  
"Derek?" She asked quietly, a shiver running down her spine.  
"Derek Hale? Yeah, and Scott." 

Sadie buried her face in her hands, her brain having trouble working. There was no way this was real. Right? There was a knock on the door, but she didn't move. She couldn't.   
"Sadie, open up!" She heard Lydia yell from the other side. When she still didn't move, Danny got up and let her cousin in.   
"Oh. Hey Danny," Lydia paused and looked at Sadie, who was staring back at her, "Why does she look like she's seen a ghost?"   
"Ah, I'm just educating her on werewolves..." Danny said nonchalantly.  
"Oh," Lydia shrugged and dropped her purse on the counter and walked over to Sadie.  
"Oh!" Sadie's voice came out strangled. "You believe this!" Danny and Lydia shared a look. Lydia sighed and sank onto the couch beside her cousin.  
"I'm sorry honey," she said gently, rubbing her Sadie's back. "But yeah, they're werewolves, and I'm a banshee, and Kira's a kitsune and,"  
"A banshee?"  
"Yeah, it's weird and creepy. I don't wanna talk about it."   
"Oh my god." Sadie whispered. "I don't even know right now."   
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true." Danny added. "She already knew about the eyes thing..." He said to Lydia.   
"You've seen the eyes?" Lydia asked Sadie, who nodded.  
"Yeah, like glowing blue? And I've read different reports about red and yellow too. What do the different colors mean?"

Lydia and Danny shared a look, and then sighed in unison.  
"Well, yellow is like the default color. All betas start out with yellow eyes." Lydia explained, shifting in her seat to face Sadie.   
"Beta?"   
"Yes, just like regular werewolves. Alphas, the leader of the pack, have red eyes. It is somehow connected to the extra power you have as an alpha. Scott's an alpha, but he's what they call a true alpha. Usually to become an alpha you have to kill another alpha. Scott on the other hand became an alpha on his own, through the strength of his will power and leadership." 

Sadie thought for a moment, trying to comprehend this. It felt like the fairy tales she had heard as a child were coming to life in the worst way. The matter-of-fact manner in which Lydia was explaining everything was almost disconcerting.  
"What does blue mean?" She asked, thinking of Derek and the eyes at the crime scene. Lydia and Danny shared another look, this time their expressions grim.  
"A beta's eyes turn blue when they've taken an innocent life." Lydia whispered quietly. Sadie gasped, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach.   
"No... Derek..." She murmured, her hands clutching at each other in her lap. A murderer. She had been trying to fucking make out with a murderer. Abruptly she stood up and strode over to her refrigerator. This situation called for something much stronger than chamomile tea. Yanking open the freezer she pulled out the bottle of Fireball she kept in there. She reached for a glass in her cupboard, but then thought better of it. Twisting the top of she took a swig out of the bottle, wincing slightly at the cinnamon burn at the back of her throat.   
"Derek didn't like coldly kill someone," Lydia said patiently, watching Sadie with a wary look on her face. Sadie took another swig of whiskey, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand  
"Oh really?" She croaked, "You think you can justify the killing of someone innocent to me?" She shook her head and leaned against the counter. This is un-freaking-believable. In a way it did make sense though. How Ida was at first afraid of Scott and Derek, how she herself was instinctually wary of him. But he makes you feel safe. He's never tried to hurt you. He loves Ida. For once, her internal monologue was actually following her heart, but her brain was a different story. She was an FBI agent, she couldn't be involved with someone who had killed a person. But she had to know. She guzzled some more Fireball down.  
"Okay fine. Tell me the story."   
"I'm only going to tell you if you put the whiskey away and come sit with me." Lydia was glaring at her, her arms crossed across her chest. Sadie rolled her eyes and screwed the cap back on the bottle and tucked it back into the freezer. She slowly made her way back to her cousin and Danny, and flopped on the couch between them. "Thank you." Lydia said sassily. "You should probably ask Derek to tell you this story but..."  
"I'm not going to ask him anything." Sadie snapped, turning up her nose. Lydia shook her head but continued. "Anyways, when he was sixteen he fell in love with a girl. Derek's pain in the ass uncle decided that someone should turn this girl so that she could be with Derek forever. So he had an alpha who was in town bite her. The problem with the bite is that if it doesn't change you, it kills you. Unfortunately, it was killing Paige. She was dying in Derek's arms, but she was in severe, unimaginable pain. She begged Derek to end it for her, to end her suffering, and he complied. His eyes are blue because he didn't want to watch his girlfriend suffer anymore, and she was dying anyway." 

Sadie's heart was heavy for Derek. She tried not to feel bad for him, but even now she found herself wanting to comfort him.   
"That doesn't change anything," she said finally, her voice betraying how emotional she was. Fortunately Danny and Lydia could tell she was lying. They both smiled sadly at her.  
"Sadie, this takes a while to get used to," Danny said gently, "but Scott's pack, which includes Lydia and Stiles, are really loyal, moral, honest people. They protect the town of Beacon Hills." 

"Werewolves!" Sadie hissed, slapping her files down onto Sheriff Stilinski's desk. It was Wednesday morning, and she had stormed into his office and locked the door behind her. The sheriff's expression held a mixture of amusement and guilt. Sadie glared at him and flopped into one of his chairs. "I still can't believe this."   
"I'm sorry Agent Sheldon, I wanted to tell you, but Scott doesn't like to broadcast it. That's why I gave you Danny's paper, I knew you'd figure it out on your own." He kept his composure, forever reminding Sadie of her own dad. "Believe me, it took me a long while to accept all of this myself. In fact, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this."  
"I don't even know what to do with this information." Sadie whispered, her anger and frustration deflating rapidly.  
"My advice, keep it to yourself, but use it to your advantage, the good thing is that if werewolves commit a crime, they are people too. There is a person out there that needs to be apprehended, and it can't be written off as an animal attack. I've found that Derek Hale is very helpful as a consultant on many of my cases."

At the mention of his name, Sadie immediately felt sick to her stomach. She absently clutched at her mid section, and rolled her eyes.  
"I'm not so sure how I feel about Derek right now." She muttered, determined to keep her face from turning red. Sheriff Stilinski attempted to hide his chuckle with a cough.   
"How are you feeling about Scott?" He asked, merriment obvious in the twinkling of his blue eyes.  
"I dunno about him either." She grumbled, feeling kind of like a child in the principal's office. This time the sheriff out right laughed.  
"Well Sadie, I suggest you focus on auditing my department until you decide to give the boys another chance." 

Sadie sighed in resignation. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right.   
"Alright," she groaned, smirking at the sheriff as she pushed herself up and out of her chair. "Thanks sheriff." She added, heading for the door.  
"Anytime Sadie," he chuckled, shaking his head at her retreating back. 

Sadie stomped back towards the squad room, refusing to make eye contact with any of the deputies. Today was not a good day for small talk. She pushed into the FBI headquarters, checking to make sure that Ida was still asleep in the corner. Sinking into her chair, she checked her phone, grimacing. There was one missed call, and three new text messages from Derek. Sadie tossed the phone back onto her desk, refusing to even look at the texts. She had been avoiding him since last night, not even sure how to handle this situation.  
"Trouble in paradise?" Stabler asked from his desk, a smirk on his face.  
"You have no idea." She grumbled, slapping at her computer as it froze up. Stabler just raised an eyebrow, obviously deciding he valued his life more than an opportunity to tease Sadie. 

When Sadie finally got home that night, she was thoroughly exhausted. Not that she had really accomplished anything at work. Her mind had been elsewhere, attempting to work through this paradigm shift that she was experiencing. A world full of werewolves and other supernatural creatures was kind of difficult to process. What she really needed was more information. That was the way she dealt with problems like this. She needed reports, books, videos, glossaries, documentaries, anything she could get her hands on. Delving into it, living it, absorbing it, that's what she needed. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to get this information. Well, except through Derek.

And now she was thinking about him again. God damn it. Shaking it off, she stared up at the wall she was creating in her spare bed room. The timeline thing had reached a whole other level. So far two of the walls were plastered with photos and case files, detailing everything and anything that might be remotely related to something supernatural. It had taken her two hours, but now Sadie was able to admire her work. She sipped at her glass of wine, chuckling slightly at the fact that Derek certainly had driven her to drink. 

There was a loud knocking at her door, but Sadie ignored it. She just knew it was him. There was another round of knocking, and she hesitantly stepped towards the door.  
"Sadie, I know you're in there!" Derek yelled, the familiar sound of his voice instantly warming her. "Come on, I just want to talk."   
Sadie sighed and walked up to the door, peering through the peep hole.  
"Derek. I just need some time." She whispered.   
"How much time?" He replied, and she was surprised that he had been able to hear her. Werewolf senses apparently. She sighed and leaned her forehead against the door.  
"I don't know." She heard Derek sigh on the other side. He sounded sad, as if he missed her.  
"When you're ready, you call me first." He ordered. She was silent, and after a pause, she could hear his footsteps walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I appreciate it so much! Feel free to comment with thoughts :)


	10. Big Bad Wolf

Sadie spent the weekend working on her timeline room. It now was color coded, had strings connecting cases, and even computer backup. The next week had dragged by, with Sadie still ignoring Derek's calls, and avoiding the little troupe of teenagers also known as Scott's pack. It was Friday afternoon, and Sadie had just dropped Ida off at doctor Deaton's. He had offered to take Ida off her hands for the night. He wanted to observe her again, and see how she was developing. Sadie had been grateful. She needed to run some errands, and she hated leaving Ida alone in the apartment. Anyways, she had dropped her off, run home and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a loose tank with her sorority's letters emblazoned on it. The sun was still warm as she skipped down the steps and towards her car. As she unlocked the door, the hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she swore she heard footsteps. Inconspicuously she slipped her pistol from her purse hanging from her forearm, and whipped around. 

A boyish, handsome red-headed kid stood before her, hands raised over his head and a smirk on his face.   
"Hey there good lookin', why don't you drop the gun eh?" He asked, his words rolling off his tongue with a slight Scottish accent.   
"I'm not dropping the gun till you explain why you're sneaking up on me like that?" She hissed, not put off my his charming manner.  
"Oh I'm sorry doll," he said sweetly. He was still making Sadie nervous for some reason. There was something about him that made her uneasy. "My car broke down, and I forgot my cell phone at home, and it was wondering if I could borrow yers?" 

Sadie narrowed her eyes, knowing that there were several other places he could've stopped before he reached her apartment building. He flashed her a huge grin, and all too late she heard footsteps coming up behind her. A strong arm closed around her neck, and a sweet smelling cloth was forced over her nose and mouth. Everything went blurry as she started to collapse, and then everything was black. 

Sadie forced her heavy eyelids open, and reached up to rub them. Her wrists jolted painfully against sharp metal, and it hit her. She was handcuffed. The adrenaline started rushing through her, and her vision cleared immediately. With her hands forced behind her around the back go her chair, she realized her ankles were cuffed as well, and there was a throbbing pain on her abdomen. After taking inventory of herself, she took in her environment. She seemed to be in a broken down house. The char marks on the floor suggested that there had been a fire here once, but the forest had started to reclaim it. Vines crawled in through the busted windows, and dried leaves were scattered across the floor. 

"Ah, the princess is awake," she whipped her head around, narrowing her eyes as the kid from the parking lot swaggered into the room.   
"What do you want with me?" She hissed, attempting to shake her hair out of her face.  
"You Agent Sheldon," another voice came from behind her, and she strained to view the source. "Are a very interesting young lady." The man that appeared in front of her was tall and muscular, with smooth pale skin, shaggy black hair, and bright blue eyes.  
"How so," she growled, trying to hide how panicked she was.  
"Well, let's see, you're way too nosey for your own good, and you've seen more than you should've..." Sadie watched with horror as both men's smirked at her, and their eyes glowed steely blue.  
"You!" She gasped, her heart rate accelerating.  
"Listen to that little heart race!" The younger one moaned, moving towards her and pushing her hair over her shoulder. Sadie's jaw tightened as she glared defiantly at him. "Oh sugar, you're feisty as all hell, pair that with those big firm tits and..." He trailed off with a smirk, watching as Sadie flushed.  
"You touched me?" She snarled. He just chuckled and shrugged, toying with her. "So that's why you brought me here? Kidnapped me? Because I saw your fucking eyes?"  
"Language sweetheart," the other one cooed. "That and we don't need someone on the FBI knowing about werewolves... And we don't need our alpha finding out that we were seen,"  
"Why don't you just kill me then? Get it over with?" Sadie baited them, trying to get as much information out of them as possible.  
"The fact that you're basically part of Scott McCall's pack is an added bonus," the big one said slowly, stroking his chin. "Between Derek Hale and the banshee, we should have ourselves a little showdown in no time." 

"What do you want with Scott?" Sadie asked.  
"McCall and his goody-too-shoes ways have really started to become a problem for us. Our pack thrives in the gray areas, and fucking McCall and his pack of teenagers have been making things difficult by interfering with our... Activities."

"You really think kidnapping me is going to help you out?" 

"No... But killing Derek Hale will." 

Sadie blanched at this, her stomach knotting. First of all, Derek couldn't die. And secondly, what if they never showed up? What if no one found her? What if no one came to rescue her? She couldn't believe that she was sitting here, waiting like a damsel in distress. She wasn't used to needing to be saved, Sadie Sheldon should and could take care of herself. Until now. 

"I doubt anyone will even come for me," she said softly, her eyes watering.   
"In that case princess, I'll just kill you instead."

An animalistic growl came from behind Sadie, and strangely, a sense of security and safety washed over her.   
"Leave her alone," a snarl that sounded vaguely like Derek echoed in her ear. Both her kidnappers grinned widely, and before her eyes they began to sprout hair on their cheeks, the bridges of the noses broadened, and fangs appeared in the mouths. Her view was suddenly blocked as Scott and Derek stepped in front of her. She couldn't see their faces, but it looked like they too were hairier, and their ears were pointed. The four suddenly launched at each other, all snarls and claws. It was like a fight scene from the movies, with bodies flying and blood splattering.  
"Stiles, get in here!" Scott yelled in between punches. Sadie heard a string of strangled swears, followed by the awkward lope of Stiles Stilinski. He ran by her, mumbling under his breath and a coil of thick rope in his hands. Derek got the big kidnapper in a headlock, and stiles moved in, wrapping the rope tightly around the wolf's arms and body. Sadie watched in amazement as the wolf immediately stopped struggling, as if loosing his strength. Stiles moved on to the second kidnapper, the same effect happening. Before she could ask any questions, Derek was kneeling in front of her. With his nose broadened, his face hairy, his eyes bright blue, and his fangs, she should've been terrified. Instead however, she simply wanted to be held by him. He reached around her and easily snapped the chain on the handcuffs on her wrists, moving quickly to the ones on her ankles. When he looked up again, his face was back to normal, his familiar green eyes filled with concern.   
"Are you okay?" He whispered, and she nodded, suddenly feeling like she had been awake for years. "Come on, the police are on the way." He murmured, looping an arm beneath her legs, and wrapping the other around her waist. Derek easily lifted her from the chair, and Sadie tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. Burying her face into his chest, she breathed in the smell of him: sweat, old spice, and the outdoors. 

Being folded up seemed to increase the pain on her abdomen, but she ignored it and snuggled deeper into Derek's embrace. As he walked out the door of the burned house, Sheriff Stilinski's police cruiser, followed by Stabler's Suv and an ambulance came flying up the driveway. The EMTs rushed towards Sadie, pulling her from Derek. She latched onto him, refusing to let to. He pushed through the first responders and carried her over to the ambulance, gently setting her down on the back. 

"They need to take a look at you," he whispered as one brave EMT approached Sadie again, "I need to go talk to the sheriff okay?" Sadie just nodded, staring after him longingly as he strode away.  
"Ma'am, my name is Megan, and I'm just going to check your vitals ok?" The EMT's voice was soft, and again, Sadie nodded in response.

"I'm gonna kill these bastards!" The sound of Stabler's angry voice had her glancing up. When they made eye contact, he immediately joined her on the back of the ambulance. Grabbing a blanket he tucked it around her. "How you doing baby girl?"   
"You're not gonna ask me how I let this happen?" She said with a sigh, still feeling guilty about not being able to protect herself.  
"I would never blame you kid... But I would like you to tell me what happened."   
"That makes two of us... Meg, is she alright?" Sheriff Stilinski had joined them. Meg the EMT nodded and gave them some space. Sadie sighed.  
"Well, I was going out to my car to run some errands, and I got the eerie feeling that someone was behind me. So I grabbed my gun and spun around, to find the younger guy standing there. He told me some bullshit story about his car breaking down and needing a phone. He distracted me so that the big guy could sneak up behind me. He got me in a choke hold, and then I think used chloroform on me. When I came to, I was handcuffed by my wrists and ankles in a chair in there." Sadie paused to swallow, smiling weakly when Stabler handed her a bottle of water. She took a sip and continued. "They said that they kidnapped me because I saw them in the drug raid a couple of weeks ago, and their al-boss would be mad that they allowed themselves to be seen..." Sadie gave the sheriff a meaningful look, trying to convey to him that there was more to the story. 

She watched as both men were lead out of the house in handcuffs. Her heart rate immediately increased. Not only did they terrify her, but obviously werewolves could break easily out of handcuffs... Which reminded her, she still had the metal bracelets around her wrists and ankles. As if reading her mind, Megan appeared with bolt cutters.  
"May I?" She asked gently.   
"Yes, thank you." Sadie agreed quietly, holding out her wrists. With a few cuts she was finally free and able to see the bruises beginning to appear on her wrists.   
"How did Hale even know where to find you?" Stabler asked, a suspicious look crossing his face.   
"I didn't, I was just coming out here to visit the house I grew up in," Derek answered, coming up behind the sheriff with Scott in tow. Sadie sighed in relief, she had no idea how to explain that away. Wait hold up. This was Derek's house?  
"And you just happened upon Sadie?" Stabler asked, not happy with Derek's story.   
"Can't you just be happy he did?" Sadie said quietly, "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be found yet, in fact. I'd most likely be dead." 

Stabler instantly looked chagrined and flinched away from her slightly.  
"Sadie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean," he stuttered, for once at a loss for words. She smiled at him and patted his hand weakly. 

"Agent Sheldon, I'll be bringing you home now, you've had enough for one night." Sheriff Stilinski announced after a few minutes. Sadie nodded and allowed Stabler to help her up and over to the sheriff's cruiser. Sadie kept glancing around for Derek. He seemed to be hanging back, as if he was still giving her her space. Sadie on the other hand wanted to be near him. She had done a full one eighty, and was completely aware of the fact that Derek was the only person who had a chance of protecting her. As she slid into the front seat, she finally made eye contact with him again. He looked worried, and very serious, but he nodded slightly at her. With a sigh, Sadie tucked her legs into the car, and let stabler shut the door after her.


	11. Strong

On the ride home Sadie had filled the sheriff in on the real story. He had offered to have a deputy watch her place, but Sadie had refused. She planned on calling Derek, and the rest of the "pack" to come over. But first, she needed to get changed and get herself together. She had only been home alone twenty minutes when she started to freak out. Her whole body was shivering, and she was imagining movement outside of every window. In a quick move she knotted her hair messily (and obnoxiously) on the top of her head, and then moved to the fridge and grabbed a beer. She really was turning into an alcoholic since moving to this god forsaken town. She chugged the beer as she stalked around the apartment, yanking all of the shades closed. Grumbling to herself she entered her investigation room and stared up at the wall. Deciding to save her sanity she pulled her phone out of the front pocket of her sweatshirt and opened up a new text message to Derek.

**Can you come to my apartment? Bring Scott, Lydia, stiles and anybody else that will be helpful. We need to talk.**

Derek responded immediately, saying that they would be there. Sadie took a few minutes to add herself to the wall of super weirdness. Then she headed out into to he kitchen, and started cooking. It didn't bother her that it was nine o'clock at night, or that she had no idea if these kids would like Mac and cheese. Stirring and chopping made the trembling of her hands less noticeable, and it gave her something to do while she waited. She cranked up her radio and tried to lose herself in her music. Unfortunately, it wasn't working like it usually did. Nothing could push the icy blue eyes and the evil smirks of the two men that had kidnapped her... And the things they did to her...

Her doorbell rang, and she almost jumped out of her skin.   
"Just a minute!" She yelled, pouring the cheese sauce she'd made over the macaroni. She jogged over to the door and peered through the peep hole. Derek was standing outside, surrounded by what seemed like a million teenagers. Sadie slid open the lock and carefully pulled the door open. "Come in, I'm making macaroni and cheese for you guys!" She said cheerfully, forcing a smile on her face.   
"Awesome!" Scott cheered, leading his pack into the living room. Derek entered last, closing the door gently behind him and locking it. Sadie was engulfed in a hug by Lydia.  
"I'm so glad you're ok," she whispered, pressing close. Sadie winced, but quickly covered it up, smiling gently at Lydia when their eyes met. Returning to her kitchen, Sadie stirred the macaroni and poured it into a baking dish. Quickly dumping more shredded cheese and breadcrumbs on top, she slid it into the oven.   
"So, Scott and Derek are werewolves, and Lydia's a banshee... Whatever that means. What about the rest of you?" She asked matter of factly, facing the group with her hands on her hips.  
"Well," Scott took the lead. "Isaac here is also a werewolf." He slapped the tall, blonde kid beside him on the arm, "and Malia is a were-coyote, which is pretty much the same as a wolf except that she can actually shift into a coyote." He was pointing towards a pretty brunette beside stiles. "Kira," he smiled down at the beautiful Asian girl cuddled up beside him. "Is a kitsune, which means she has a fox spirit. And that's it!" 

"What about Stilinski?" Sadie asked, pointing at Stiles.   
"I was possessed by an evil spirit, but I'm good now... Just you know, a regular human!" Stiles said cheerfully, leaning back in the couch and propping his feet up on the coffee table. Derek instantly pushed them off, glaring at Stiles.   
"Well at least I'm not the only normal one here." Sadie said grimly, crossing her arms. Lydia and Stiles shared a look, before glancing sheepishly at Sadie. "What?" She inquired, feeling uneasy. 

"Sadie, remember what I told you about the bite of an alpha?" Lydia asked quietly. Sadie nodded.  
"If it doesn't change you, it kills you," she whispered, glancing quickly at Derek. 

"Right," Lydia sighed, "well I was bitten..."  
"But you're not a werewolf."

"Correct."  
"And you're not dead."

"Obviously. I'm immune Sadie. And there's a real possibility that you are too. Which means you're something other than an ordinary human." Lydia shrugged as Sadie stared at her.

"Great. That's just fantastic." Sadie shook her head, and returned to the kitchen to pull the macaroni out of the oven. "Come on guys, come eat." She ordered, standing back as the teens rushed into the kitchen and grabbed bowls. 

Derek was still silently watching her, and Sadie realized he hadn't missed anything. His face was a mask of worry, and his eyes were following her every move.   
"Aren't you gonna eat?" He asked her quietly.   
"Nah I'm not hungry," Sadie shook her head and reached for a new bottle of beer. The bottle shook visibly in her grip, her rings clinking against the glass and giving her away. Derek's eyes narrowed, and she felt his hand gently circle her wrist.  
"May I speak with you in private?" He whispered. Sadie nodded and followed him towards her bedroom. She slipped her hand into his, feeling comforted by his strong grip. She paused in the living room.  
"Also, while you guys are eating... See that notebook? You're going to make me a supernatural dictionary." She ordered. Kira and Scott nodded eagerly, but Stiles and Lydia seemed to be more interested in Derek and Sadie's linked hands then anything else. Frowning at them Sadie turned and allowed Derek to drag her into her bedroom. 

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, settling onto her bed. Sadie paced back and forth along her foot board.

"I'm scared," she whispered quietly, her back turned to him.

"Of me?" His voice was hoarse, resigned, nervous even. With a sigh Sadie spun around and walked over to stand in front of him. 

"No. I'm scared because I'm not afraid of you. I'm scared because werewolves are fucking real. I'm scared because I was kidnapped today and I did absolutely nothing to protect myself. I'm scared because I don't think I can protect myself against these... Things! I'm just scared in general..." There were tears rolling down her cheeks now, and her whole body was shaking. "But you Derek," she reached for one of his hands and grabbed it in both of hers. "You are the one person who makes me feel less scared." 

Derek tugged her into his lap, cradling her against him. Sadie pressed her face into his chest, sobs wracking her body. Derek's big hands slowly slid up and down her back, she could feel the warmth even through her thick sweatshirt.   
"You can count on one thing Sadie, not only will I protect you, but we, the pack, will teach you to protect yourself." His voice was low as he whispered into her ear. Sadie nodded and sat up, reaching to wipe the tears from her face. Derek beat her to it though, his thumbs gently brushing away her tears as he stared into her eyes. 

"Can you shift for me?" Sadie whispered, her hands coming to rest on his broad shoulders. Derek's thick brows furrowed marginally.

"Are you sure?" 

Sadie just nodded. "Close your eyes." Derek ordered. Sadie complied, but she could feel him twitch slightly under her hands. "You can open them." This time Derek's voice was huskier, growlier. His nose was broad across the bridge, and his eyebrows had almost disappeared, his cheeks were covered with coarse, dark hair. His beautiful green eyes had been replaced with a bright, steely, unnatural blue, and his ears had grown pointed. Perhaps what should've frightened her most were the long fangs protruding from Derek's mouth. But she wasn't afraid. Slowly she lifted her hands from his shoulders. She ran a finger over his eyebrows, and down his cheeks, gasping as his human features returned beneath her touch. 

Derek seemed just as shocked, blinking up at her as his eyes turned back to green.

"Why did you change back? I wasn't scared." Sadie said quietly. Derek shook his head slowly, his fingers brushing over Sadie's face. 

"I didn't do it on purpose... You..." He trailed off, still staring at her with awe. "You see Sadie, to control the shift, a werewolf has to find something to bind him to his human side... I always used my anger... But you make it impossible for me to be angry... You're my Allison." 

"What the hell does that mean?" Sadie blurted, grinning at her outburst. 

"I'll explain another day, it's a long story... Come on, let's get back to the kids before Stiles and Lydia come up with their own version of what we were doing in here." 

Sadie's eyes widened, and she giggled as Derek smirked up at her. Rather reluctantly she pushed herself up off of Derek's lap, secretly wishing that they could just lay in her bed together and snuggle. Escape the real world, that didn't seem so real anymore, and just live in their own little cozy place. 

"Unless of course, now is one of those times you wanted to... Practice?" Derek was glowering up at her from beneath his thick eyelashes. Her stomach clenched, and she winced slightly. Derek frowned but she spoke before he could say anything.  
"Not yet," she winked at him, surprised that some of her good humor had returned. She pulled the door of her room open and strode out, ignoring the questioning look on Lydia's face, 

"How are you guys making out?" She asked, helping herself to some Mac and cheese, her appetite returning. 

"First off, this is delicious!" Isaac announced, shoveling more into his mouth. 

"You should try her strawberry shortcake, it's fantastic." Derek added, taking a bowl of pasta from Sadie. "Thanks princess."   
"She's made you strawberry shortcake?" Lydia inquired suspiciously.

"Oh relax Lyd... We are so not doing this right now. How are you making out with the werewolf stuff?" Sadie directed her final question at Scott, who nodded.

"Pretty good, why do you need all of this anyways?" He asked.

Sadie sighed and leaned heavily against the counter.

"Let me tell you guys a little bit about myself. As you know, I'm Lydia's cousin, and an FBI agent. I grew up in Maple Ridge, but I spent summers on my grandparent's farm here in Beacon Hills. My mom is a school teacher, but my dad specializes in crafting handmade weapons. Bow and arrows, knives, even specialty guns, he makes to order and sells. I learned how to shoot at a young age, and have always had a way with animals. However, this werewolf thing has kind of floored me..." She stepped around the corner and beckoned for them. The whole group followed her into her special room. She flicked on the light.   
"Oh my god..." Malia said slowly, spinning around with the rest as they took in the room.   
"Stiles, this so beats your board," Isaac snickered, elbowing Stiles in the gut.  
"These are all of Beacon Hills' unsolved cases, plus some additional FBI cases. I could probably lose my job for showing you this... So keep your mouths shut." She pointed at the wall. "They are color coded based on if there was a murder, and assault, or just a robbery. The strings connect cases with similarities." 

The whole pack was silent for a moment, everyone trying to take in all the information before them.  
"You already added yourself?" Stiles asked, looking almost impressed. Sadie just nodded, her eyes instead on Lydia, who was following the string connecting Sadie to Ida's case. 

"Why are you connected to Ida?" She murmured, turning to stare at Sadie. Averting her eyes, Sadie shrugged noncommittally. Her cousin watched her for a minute, eyes roaming over her body. "You're coming with me." She ordered, grabbing Sadie's wrist and dragging her back to her bedroom.   
"What are you doing Lyd?" Sadie hissed, feeling as if Lydia could see right through her. Her cousin narrowed her eyes.  
"Show me. I know they did something to you." 

Reluctantly Sadie pulled her sweatshirt off and tossed it on her bed. Then she pulled the bottom of her t-shirt up, revealing a large white bandage covering her upper abdomen.   
"Oh no," Lydia murmured, as if predicting what was coming next. Sadie peeled the bandage down, wincing slightly as the gauze pulled at her skin. A solar cross had been burned onto her, taking up most of her skin between her sternum and her belly button. "Why didn't you tell us Sadie." Lydia whispered, staring at the deep red burns, covered with the ointment Sadie had rubbed on herself.   
"I was embarrassed," Sadie muttered, refusing to look at Lydia in the eyes.   
"Embarrassed?"  
"Yes. I was out cold when it happened... And I didn't protect myself...And I'm kind of out of shape..." At this Lydia rolled her eyes.   
"Oh please Sadie. Derek, get in here." Lydia kept her voice even, seeming to know that Derek was listening. Seconds later he burst in, anger already appearing on his face.

"What did they do-" he caught sight of her burn, and dropped to his knees in front of her. His hand rested gently against her waist, and instantly it felt as if the pain was leaving her body. "I'll kill those fucking bastards," he hissed, standing quickly and storming towards the apartment door.   
"Derek! Where are you going?" Scott yelled, but Derek already had the door ripped open.   
"Derek!" Sadie pleaded, running out of her room and pulling her shirt down to hide herself.   
"Sadie, I need to end this." He growled.  
"What is you killing them going to do? Put you in jail? And then who's gonna be able to protect me when their alpha decides he wants revenge? This is exactly what they wanted!" Sadie paused, glad to see him slowly coming back inside. "And I want you to stay here." 

Derek sighed and closed the door slowly behind him, a slightly sour look on his face. Sadie smiled gently at him, glancing around at the slightly awed looks on everyone else's faces.   
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, frowning slightly at Stiles and Lydia. They all just shrugged and attempted to look innocent, which only made them look guilty. 

"Derek, what's got you so pissed off anyway?" Scott asked quietly, looking concerned. Derek gave Sadie a pointed look. With a heavy sigh Sadie adjusted her sweatpants to cover her lower belly, and pulled her t-shirt up just enough to show her burn. She was surprised to see all the kids' eyes instantly glow. Scott's were bright red, Isaac's and Kira's were yellow, and Malia's were blue like Derek's, and they all growled angrily. Stiles, in his usual fashion, was recoiling in horror/disgust.   
"Ok, chill out you guys, it's not that bad." Sadie murmured, quickly pulling her shirt back down. "They did this specifically to get to you Scott. They somehow knew that I am connected to you guys. We need to think this through, be rational, and figure out a plan. I'm thinking if we can figure out the non-supernatural side of this, Stabler and I will be able to take down the gang itself..."

"Who's Stabler?" Kira asked, returning to her spot on the love seat. 

"Her partner," Lydia sighed and sunk into one of the easy chairs. "He's so dreamy." Sadie snorted at this.  
"Oh my god Lyd! He's way to old for you and he's not dreamy. He's annoying." 

"Is he trustworthy? Should we be bringing him in on this?" Isaac asked, crossing his arms.

"I trust him with my life. But we can't tell him this, not yet. Maybe not ever. If I told him, I'd have to tell McCall." Sadie said matter of factly, grabbing her half eaten bowl of macaroni and taking another bite.

"And that's not happening." Scott growled, a dark look on his face. Sadie smiled knowingly at him. 

"Alright, Scott and Derek you guys are gonna help me figure out which of the cases are actually werewolf related. The rest of you guys, can you finish up the glossary. I need all the information you've got." 

"You got it!" Kira said cheerfully, grabbing the notebook eagerly. Sadie grinned and headed towards her investigation room, Scott and Derek in tow. The boys had explained to her what a werewolf attack would look like, and how to tell the difference between werewolves and wild animals. Then they moved on to identifying which cases were committed by werewolves. 

"Sadie!" Isaac called from the living room. "Your phone's ringing!"

"Who is it?" She asked peeking out of the doorway.

"Um," Isaac chuckled. "It says ass hole..." 

"Let it ring," Sadie growled, returning to Derek and Scott. A few minutes later, she could hear her phone going off again. "Ignore" she yelled before they could ask. The third time it went off, she heard Lydia hiss,  
"Give me it. I'm taking care of this... Hello?" She was quiet for almost a full minute before she said, "yeah uh sorry, this is Lydia, not Sadie... I wanted to hear what you had to say!" Sadie shook her head, knowing where this was going. She headed out I to the living room just in time for Lydia to flip out. "Well maybe you should've thought of that before sleeping around and being a giant fucking douche bag!"   
"Okay give me that," Sadie said lowly, prying the phone from Lydia's clenched hand. "Ricci. What do you want?"  
"Aw come on babe, I'm Ricci to you now?" As much as she hated it, the sound of her ex-boyfriend's voice was oddly comforting to her. It reminded her of a time where she was comfortable, life was easy, and everything was perfect. That was, until she found out he was cheating on her.  
"Fine, Ryan. How can I help you?" She asked quietly, walking into the kitchen for a little bit of privacy.  
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay! I heard what happened and..."   
" what do you mean?"  
"You were abducted!"  
"How the hell do you know that Ryan?" Sadie hissed. "Are you listening to the police scanner again?"   
"Well yeah," she could almost see him in her mind, running his hand over his blonde buzz cut. "I heard on the scanner that someone had been kidnapped, and then they mentioned it was a female FBI agent. So I drove over to the Beacon Hills sheriff's department, and I asked the cop at the front desk if you were okay... And he was all like who are you to Agent Sheldon. So I said I was your boyfriend-"  
"Really Ryan?"  
"Sorry! And the guy was all, 'Agent Sheldon never mentioned a boyfriend, and I'm pretty sure you aren't the guy she wants to be her boyfriend' whatever that means, and then this tall black dude came out and said 'it's her ex boyfriend' and I was like 'how do you know?' And he gave me some bullshit about being in the FBI-"

"Okay Ryan stop. That was Agent Stabler, my partner. And yes, I'm sure he knows everything about me, just like I know everything about him. I had a little incident this afternoon, but I'm safe now. Okay?" Sadie was suddenly overwhelmingly exhausted. Talking to Ryan was giving her a headache, and she rubbed at her temple while she leaned her back against the counter. 

"Did they catch the guys? Do you want me to come stay with you?" Ryan sounded almost hopeful.

"No Ryan. I appreciate the call, but I'm fine." Sadie still couldn't find it in herself to be mean to him.

"Are you sure? I could come over right now!" 

"Nope. All set. And don't you tell anyone about what happened you got it? This is still an open investigation, and we don't need any interference. This includes my parents. Understand?" 

"Yeah yeah yeah..." Ryan muttered.

"Ok. Bye." Sadie hung up quickly before he could start talking about anything else... Like getting back together. It would be all too easy for him to convince her. They were together for almost four years, and Ryan had been her best friend. It was difficult to just cut someone like that out if your life... But the trust she had in him was gone. They could no longer be anything. Fixing a smile on her face Sadie returned to the living room, glad to see that Derek and Scott had joined everyone else. "That right there ladies, is the reason why you can't just go with the guy that looks perfect on paper," she announced as she curled up on the couch beside Derek. "Just because you seem 'perfect' for each other, doesn't mean you're meant to be. What's more important than looks, or popularity or sports are two things. One: does he make you feel like the most beautiful girl on the plant? And two: does he make you laugh? If either one of those is missing, it ain't worth it." 

"Save the sermon Sadie," Lydia teased, rolling her eyes. 

"Lyd you of all people need to start following that rule!" 

"Whatever."

"So Is that what happened with you ex? He didn't make you feel pretty? Or make you laugh?" Stiles asked. "He must've been an idiot!" 

Sadie smirked as she felt Derek tense beside her. Apparently he wasn't a fan of other people flirting with her.

"Well, when I first met him I was a sophomore in college... And I thought he was great and hilarious, and we fell in love. But four years is a long time to date someone... And I changed, and he didn't. He wasn't funny anymore, and I think he got bored with me." Sadie shrugged.

"Tell them why you really broke up Sadie." Lydia insisted. "You're way to easy on the asshole."

"Right. Well um, one day I came home early from work... And I was surprised to see Ryan's truck and my friend Kelly's car in front of our apartment... And I walked in on them. In my bed."

"Are you serious?" Malia exclaimed. "I would've flipped shit! What did you do?" 

Sadie shrugged again, surprised to feel Derek's arm wrap around her and slowly run up and down her arm. She stared at it for a second, watching as the long nails that had sprouted from his fingers receded when he touched her skin.   
"I walked in there, pretended like I couldn't see them, grabbed some clothes and shoes, tossed the promise ring he had given me onto the bed with them, told him I expected him out in two days. And then I went to my mom's." She finished with a grin, still proud of herself for not pretending like she hadn't seen anything. If this had happened four, even two years earlier, she probably would've let it go. But she had grown up, and finally realized that she deserved better. 

"That's pretty awesome actually," Isaac admitted, a small smile on his handsome face. Sadie just grinned and leaned back into Derek, finally giving in. Stiles and Lydia shared another look in response, and Scott seemed to be trying to control his grin. But Sadie was too tired to even deal with them, so she just yawned. 

"Alright you guys, we should get going." Scott said finally, standing up slowly. The others nodded in agreement, and Sadie moved to get up and say bye. Derek's grip tightened marginally on her,  
"You're fine, they can walk themselves out." He whispered gently. Sadie nodded sleepily and leaned back into him. 

"Sadie, um do you uh... Want me to stay here with you?" Stiles asked, scratching his neck awkwardly. 

"Stiles, out of all the people here, you think you should be the one to stay with her?" Isaac asked humorously.

"Well I um yeah! We both like to solve crimes! We've got like the same wavelengths. And Malia will stay too!" Stiles insisted. 

"I think I should stay with her... It's not like I have any where it need to be." Isaac added. Malia, Lydia and Kira all shared a knowing look.

"You!" Stiles was indignant, "you're like the least experienced werewolf ever! And you have a negativity problem!" 

"At least i could actually fight off a werewolf!"

"Don't you even start on that!"

"Guys," Scott tried to but in, but Stiles plowed on.

"I'll line this place with mountain ash and mistletoe and wolfsbane and-"

"SHUT UP!" Scott roared, causing Isaac and Stiles to stare at him like deer in headlights. "It's pretty obvious to me that Derek is staying with Sadie. And I'm pretty sure he's the only one Sadie wants to stay with her. So let's go," he ushered his friends towards the door, all three of them grinning and waving apologetically at Sadie over there shoulders. 

"Thanks guys!" She called after them as the door swung closed. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to." She said quietly, even as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'm either staying on your couch, or in my car outside. Your choice." Derek said with an authoritative tone. Sadie considered asking about her bed, but chickened out. 

"Ok," she yawned and pushed herself into a standing position, wincing slightly. "Here's some more pillows," she added, digging around in the basket under the coffee table. "And here's a blanket." She tossed a giant quilt that her grandmother had made at him. 

"Thanks Sadie... Now if you need anything, you just yell. Okay?" Derek's eyes were wide as he looked up at her. She nodded and yawned again.

"Sweet dreams Derek," she whispered, leaning over him and kissing his forehead gently. 

"Good night princess," he whispered back. Sadie grinned sleepily and made her way to her bedroom. She stripped out of her sweatpants and shirt, and pulled on short silky night gown. Hey, if Derek was going to see her in her pajamas, she might as well look hot. Sadie climbed into her bed and flopped into her pillows, expecting to fall asleep instantly. As soon as she closed her eyes, her brain started racing. She went over everything that had happened today, everything she had learned in the last two hours. She tried to figure out how she could've saved herself. What if she just shot them and ran away? But they're wolves, it wouldn't have mattered. What if she had stayed in? What if she had been an hour later? What if Derek and Scott hadn't found her? Wait.

How had they known where she was? Had they tracked her scent? How did they know she was missing in the first place? Sadie opened her eyes and looked at the clock. She had only been laying here for twenty minutes, but it felt like hours. And now she wanted to know how they'd found her. She crawled out of bed and padded out into the living room. Derek was laying on the couch, his eyes closed, perfectly still. She debated going back to bed, not wanting to disturb him. She hesitated, caught between wanting to curl up beside him or leave him be.

"Sadie, I can hear you breathing, I'm not really asleep," his voice startled her, but she smiled sheepishly at him when he opened his eyes. "What's up?" He asked, staring directly into her eyes as he sat up. Sadie realized that he was trying not to look at her.... Remembering that she was wearing her slightly slutty night gown. Right. 

"Well um, I was you know thinking, and i was wondering..." She paused and sat next to him on the edge of the couch. "How did you guys find me?" 

"I can't believe we forgot to tell you that..." Derek said, still staring into her eyes... Which was doing nothing but making her entire body heat up. "As a banshee, Lydia gets feelings about when someone is going to die... But some people, like you and Stiles, have really strong connections with her... And she just gets, well feelings. She knew something was wrong with you, and she kept seeing my old house... So we went there."

"Oh," was all Sadie could say. She swallowed and stared at her hands.

"Anything else?" Derek asked gently. Sadie took a deep breath and nodded. 

"Yeah, um... I think I'll be able to sleep better if um..." She trailed off, her cheeks turning red. When she looked up Derek was smirking at her.

"If what?" He asked teasingly, reaching out one finger and running it down her forearm.

"If you um well if you sleep in my bed with me?" She finally spit it out, pretty sure her body was about to spontaneously combust. 

"Oh really?" Derek's eyes were dancing as he bit his lip. Sadie just nodded, and summoning ever last once of courage she had, stood up and grabbed his hand. Derek grinned and stood up, following her into her bedroom. He dropped his jeans to the floor, revealing tight black boxer briefs. Sadie averted her eyes and climbed back into bed. Derek followed suit before gently tugging her towards him.

"Put your head right here." He whispered, touching his chest. Sadie did as she was told, moving gingerly due to her burn. "When I was a kid, I shared a room with my little sister Cora. Whenever I couldn't sleep, I'd just lay there and listen to her heart beat... And before I knew it, I'd be passed right out." His left hand snuck up under the hem of her night gown, and settled on her waist. His touch seemed to make her pain disappear, and the steady thumping of his heart was lulling her to sleep. Sadie wrapped her arm around his middle and snuggled against him. 

"Thanks Derek," she murmured into his tshirt, her eyes drooping closed.

"Sweet dreams Sadie," he whispered, smiling as she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Xoxo - B


	12. Most Beautiful Thing I'd Seen in My Life

Sadie snuggled deeper into her pillows, not sure why they were so firm. Or why they smelled so good. Or why they seemed to have a heart beat. Oh. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, rubbing at them. Derek Hale was lying in her bed, grinning up at her. As the events of yesterday came flooding back, she stretched her arms over her head, wincing slightly at the pain on her belly.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked with a yawn. Derek shrugged, his eyes still full of amusement.

"An hour probably."

 

"You could've woken me up!" Sadie cried, smacking his chest lightly. He grabbed her hand and gently threaded their fingers together.

 

"You were so peaceful..." He smirked at her, "and you're entertaining when you sleep." Sadie frowned.

"Why?"

"You talk a lot..." Derek was still smirking as horror flooded Sadie. She could distinctly remember having a very, very x-rated dream about Derek last night. And if she was talking...

"I doubt it!" She lied, even as blood rushed to her cheeks. "What was I even saying?"

 

"Well this morning it was something about pillows and deer and stuff..." He trailed off and pushed himself up against the headboard. "But last night," he slowly looked up at her through his lashes. "Last night was much more interesting."

 

Sadie didn't know whether to be embarrassed or turned on by the way he was looking at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She insisted, turning up her nose. Derek chuckled.

 

"Judging by the color of your cheeks, I think you do!"

 

"Oh my god," Sadie moaned, throwing herself back onto the bed and pulling the sheets up over her face.

 

"No it was more like, 'Derek, please'" he imitated her moan. "And a lot of moaning... It was real fucking hot actually." He continued. Sadie couldn't believe this. How embarrassing. "Although I'd much prefer to do it in real life than in your dreams."

 

"Jesus Christ," Sadie grumbled, throwing the blankets off herself and jumping out of bed. She quickly wrapped her robe around her body. "I'm gonna make some coffee." She muttered, refusing to look at him.

 

"Is it ok if I take a shower?" Derek asked with a chuckle. Sadie just nodded and hurried out to the kitchen. Why did he have to say anything! Why couldn't he have pretended it didn't happen? Now she felt so... Dirty! He seemed to like it though, but still. God. She scooped the coffee grounds into the filter a little harsher than she intended to, scattering a ton all over the counter in the process. She managed to spill water everywhere too, due to her shaking hands. The pain in her stomach was awful, and the coffee was taking forever to brew. Basically, she was a hot mess. In order to keep herself busy she poured a glass of orange juice, and then filled some bottles with milk for Ida later on. She heard the shower shut off, and turned to lean on the counter facing the bathroom, preparing to rip Derek a new one. Now that she was awake and feisty, she was ready to pick on him right back.

 

She had just taken a sip of juice when the bathroom door opened. Derek emerged with just a towel wrapped around his waist, his body on full display. Sadie tried to set her cup down, but kept missing the counter, unable to take her eyes off Derek. She had known he was fit, but this was just... Everything about him was defined. His abs, his pecs, that v-line that she just wanted to lick. His shoulders, his biceps, good lord this man was one fine piece of werewolf ass. And Sadie wanted it. Bad.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Derek teased, his grin not helping anything, as Sadie seriously considered finding her phone and taking a photo. Instead she shook her head and glared at him.

"Coffee's brewing," she grumbled, marching past him into her room and grabbing some clothes. "Its my turn."

 

She stomped into the bathroom and closed the door quickly behind her. She had never been so lustful for a man in her entire life. And the fact that he could probably hear her heart beat right now, and smell her pheromones did not help a thing. There was a knock on the bathroom door and she jumped.

 

"Hey, how do you like your eggs?" Derek asked through the door.

 

"Fertilized..." Sadie whispered to herself.

 

"I heard that," Derek laughed, and Sadie groaned loudly.

 

"Can I catch a break around here! I don't care how you cook eggs, you don't need to make breakfast, I'll make it!"

 

"I'm making it." Derek growled. "And like I said before, we need to practice before we make any babies Sadie, but we'll get there."

 

Sadie cracked the bathroom to glare at the still shirtless Derek.

"Why are you making fun of me so much?" She whined. He raised his brows.

 

"Baby, I'm being serious."

 

Sadie looked at him for a second, before quickly shutting the door. She undid her robe and pulled off her stupid night gown. Her burn had turned darker red, and seemed to be scabbing up in some spots. She gingerly stepped into the shower, hissing through her teeth as the hot water hit the burns. Trying to ignore it, she washed her hair, and then her body. She contemplated shaving her legs, but then decided against it. Bending over like that would only hurt her more. Turning off the shower she toweled off, gingerly drying her burn. She got dressed in a hole-y pair of jeans and a floaty bohemian top.

 

She opened the door cautiously, not sure what to expect. Derek was confusing the hell out of her. He was in the kitchen, his jeans slung low on his hips, still shirtless, and chopping vegetables. Sadie's heart fluttered just a little bit in response. He glanced up at her, concern painted on his features.

 

"Come here," he beckoned, setting the knife down. Sadie walked up to him, confused as he sunk to his knees in front of her. "I could hear you in the shower, it hurts huh?" He asked quietly. Sadie nodded, watching as he pushed her shirt up and laid the palm of his hand flat against the cross burned into her. The pain instantly began to melt away, but Sadie was distracted by the veins on Derek's arm that seemed to be turning black.

"What the..." She whispered, tracing them with her fingers.

 

"I'm taking your pain," Derek said quietly.

 

"Does it hurt you?" Sadie asked, worried about him. Derek grinned.

 

"Not really, I mean I can feel it but it's quick." He slowly slid his hand around to the small of her back, warmth radiating from his touch. "Sadie, you're so... I just really like being around you..." He flushed slightly, causing Sadie to grin. Grabbing his elbows she pulled him up and wrapped her arms around his middle.

 

"I like spending time with you too," she murmured into his chest. Derek's fingers curled around her shoulders, and he held her at arms length.

 

"No Sadie, you are literally the only person I've met in years the I look forward to being with. You're very very special." He was looking at her as if he was memorizing the shape of her face, the color of her hair and eyes, the curve of her lips and the number of freckles scattered across her nose.

 

"Special ed, maybe..." Sadie teased, causing Derek to actually giggle. "What are you making anyway hot shot?" She asked, picking a slice of pepper up off the cutting board and popping it into her mouth.

 

"I'm making my, um the little princess an omelet... But I could use some help cooking up these peppers and onions first." Derek said with a smile, grabbing the cutting board and dumping the veggies into the hot frying pan on the stove.

 

"Sure thing handsome," Sadie said with a wink, amazed at her own self confidence. She turned on the radio and grabbed a spatula, turning her attention to the frying pan.

 

Derek was beating eggs in a bowl, and Sadie turned to watch him. The muscles in his shoulders flexed with each movement, and the large tattoo between his shoulder blades mesmerized her. She found her self abandoning the veggies and stepping towards him, one finger out stretched.

 

"What are you doing?" Derek asked over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised. Sadie froze, feeling like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "You were going to poke me? Really?"

 

"Uhm well," Sadie's mind was blank, "you see, if I wanted to make sure you were real, and um-"

 

"So you were going to poke me?" Derek repeated with amusement.

 

"Well... You see, if I actually like touched you then I'd probably lose all control and it would be bad so I was just going to poke you and you know what? Never mind."  She abruptly turned back to the peppers and onions, giggling along with Derek.

 

Twenty minutes later they were seated side by side at the counter, devouring their omelets and sausage.

 

"So what are we doing today?" Derek asked, taking a sip of coffee.

 

"I don't know what we are doing, but I am going to visit my grandparents," Sadie said cheerfully, cocking an eyebrow at him.

 

"You're not going anywhere alone." Derek attempted to use his authoritative tone on her.

 

"How about this, you can pick up Ida at Dr. Deaton's, and I'll bring Lydia with me to the farm, and then you can meet us there?" Sadie suggested, holding a piece of sausage a loft on her fork.

 

"You are a sly little girl Sadie," Derek chuckled, pointing his fork at her, "acting all cute and trying to convince me of stuff."

 

"Maybe I'm just naturally cute," Sadie chirped, taking another mouthful of omelet.

 

"Oh that's for damn sure!" Derek chuckled, and Sadie had the sudden urge to grab his face and kiss him senseless. Just then her phone started ringing and she clumsily fumbled for it, trying to regain her senses.

 

"Hi hullo hi," she stuttered, turning away to gain composure.

 

"So Sadie, how was your night?" Lydia asked cooly. Sadie could picture her perched on her bed, twirling a red curl around her finger, staring stonily at her reflection.

 

"Nevermind my night Lyd, how do you feel about bringing me up to gram and gramps?"

 

"Your boyfriend isn't bringing you?" Lydia asked, but Sadie could hear her moving around in the background.

 

"Derek will meet us there..." Sadie grumbled, even as Derek chuckled beside her. "Just come pick me up! Don't forget who's the oldest cousin here."

 

"I'll be there in twenty. Next time lose the attitude or I won't do anything for you!"

 

"Love you Lyd."

 

"Love you more. Bye."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hopefully will be update a little more frequently now :)


	13. Family Ties

Three hours later Derek was slowly making his way down a long dirt driveway. A house and a barn came into view and Derek sighed in relief. At least he was in the right place. He parked beside Lydia's car, and gently grabbed Ida from the passenger seat. As soon as he set her on the ground she took off for the house. Hesitantly Derek followed the fawn, taking in all of the sights around him as he walked. Pastures dotted with cows were to his right, and a clothesline hung with sheets was on his left. He ducked beneath the sheets.

 "And this must be the hunk I've been hearing all about," Derek glanced up to see an older woman rocking slowly in a rocking chair on the porch of the farm house. She had sparkling blue eyes that were eerily familiar, and her hair was still a faded red. Lydia was perched on the porch railing beside her, a bored look on her face.

 "Don't feed his ego gram," she drawled, checking her nails.

 "Come sit up here with me Derek," Lydia's grandmother cood, pointing at the swing beside her.

"Um okay," Derek murmured, not sure how to act. And where was Sadie? "Thanks Mrs. Sheldon."

"Please, call me Mary Beth. The good lord sure blessed you honey,"

 "Gram!" Lydia moaned, leaning back against the post. "Can you please act your age?"

 "Well isn't my little banshee of a granddaughter whiny today?" Mary Beth chuckled, taking a sip of what looked like iced tea.

 "Wait, you know?" Derek sat forward and stared at her.

 "Of course I know, just like I know you're a Hale, I was very close with your mother."

 "You knew my mother?"

 "Yes of course. The Sheldon's have always played the role of intermediary between the wolves and hunters. Just like Lydia here was drawn to Allison argent, Sadie was drawn to you. For generations we have been this way, trying to keep the balance." Mary Beth rocked slowly, a small smile on her face.

"Sadie doesn't know she knows though," Lydia added, looking up from her phone.

"Are you gonna tell her...." He trailed off, his attention caught by the sight in front of him. A horse and rider were galloping across the field. Sadie's long red hair was flying out behind her, and Derek could hear her whoop with joy. Out of the corner of  his eye he could see an atv flying around the edge of the field, also heading towards the house. He held his breath as the horse jumped the nearest fence, and the atv slung gravel as it rounded the corner of the house. Sadie leapt easily from the horses back, and Derek couldn't help but grin as she ran towards them laughing loudly. The rider of the atv was also sprinting towards the porch, a look a pure determination in his face. He shoved Sadie's shoulder, and Derek growled, moving to stand up.

"Don't get your panties in a twist Hale, it's her brother." Lydia grumbled, as the pair fell laughing onto the porch.

 "Levi you asshole! I totally won fair and square!" Sadie shrieked, punching at her brothers arm.

 "Gram! Did you hear that! Sadie just swore!" Levi yelled, a look of pure glee on his face as he grabbed his sister in a headlock. When his gaze landed on Derek, he immediately released her and straightened up. "Derek Hale." He murmured in admiration.

 "How do you know his name? That's creepy." Sadie chirped, picking up Ida and cooing at her.

"Sadie love, you should be talking like that to your man, not some wild animal." Mary Beth admonished, causing Sadie to flush adorably as she sat beside Derek.

  "He was captain of Beacon Hills basketball team when Kevin was captain of Maple Ridge." Levi made a snotty face at his sister, who stuck out her tongue.

 "Still weird." Lydia added. Levi took a step towards her and gently pushed at her legs, causing her to wobble on the railing. "Get away jerk face!" She hissed, but she actually smiled at him when he laughed. Derek wasn't used to seeing Lydia and Sadie like this. They were comfortable and carefree with their grandmother... Who seemed to be a whole other world of something herself.

 "Kevin Burnham?" Derek asked Levi, trying to remember who they were referring to.

 "Yeah, he's our cousin too," Lydia answered for him. "He's also an asshole. Why are my cousins so annoying gram?"

 Mary Beth chuckled in her chair.

 "I'd appreciate it if my grandchildren would stop swearing like sailors... Y'all know I'm not afraid to wash your mouths out."

The three cousins looked sheepish, and shared what looked to Derek like a nervous glance. Apparently Mary Beth wasn't one to mess with. "Levi, I'm assuming that Gramps is done with hay if you're back here irritating your sister." She continued. It was then that Derek noticed that Levi was covered with dust and pieces of dry grass, and his shirt was soaked with sweat.

 "Yeah they're heading back, Sadie of course times it perfectly so that she didn't have to do any work, as usual." Levi sent his sister another dirty look.

 "You know kid, I had actually thought I missed you, but you've cured me of that," Sadie shot back as Ida sucked eagerly on her fingers.

 "Awww you love it!" Levi teased, walking towards the swing and attempting to sit on the other side of Sadie.

 "Get out of here!" Sadie hissed, pushing at him with one hand. "You stink!"

 "Come on at least let me hold the munchkin!" Sadie somewhat reluctantly handed Ida to her brother, her eyes narrowed at him. Derek slipped his hand up the back of her shirt and curled it gently around her waist, taking away any pain she had. She sighed and settled against him slightly, her hair spreading across his shoulder.

"How's your burn Sadie?" Lydia asked, the look on her face telling Derek that she noticed what he was doing. Sadie sent a glare at her cousin.

 "It's fine Lyd." She said quietly, shooting a quick glance at her grandmother.

 "What burn?" Levi asked from where he leaned against the railing.

 "It's nothing, nobody needs to worry about it." She replied quickly, nervously tugging her shirt lower over her jeans.

 "You're about as good a liar as your father Sadie Sheldon. You can't fool me." Mary Beth said sternly, leaning forward in her chair so that she could see around Derek.

 "Gram," Sadie sighed, tilting her head back against the back of the swing. "It's kind of work related, I don't need you guys involved." She grumbled. Mary Beth moved quicker than Derek thought possible, appearing quickly in front of Sadie and lifting the front of her t shirt up.

 "I'm hoping you've been helping her out with this," Mary Beth said calmly to Derek, who just nodded. Sadie stared open mouthed at her grandmother.

 "Holy shit Sade! What the hell happened?" Levi's stance had changed, his body clearly tense and angry, and was shooting suspicious looks at Derek.

"Never mind that, what did you mean Gram?" Sadie asked, still looking at her grandmother.

 "You know exactly what I mean Sadie, let me get some salve for you, it'll help with the scarring." Mary Beth was all business, and she disappeared inside the house.

"So she knows about you then?" Sadie asked Lydia, annoyance rippling off her in waves. Derek started rubbing his hand up and down her back, trying to calm her down.

"Yeah... But she's always known, it's in our blood." Lydia said quietly. She glanced at Levi. "I think he knows too."

"Why was I the last person in this whole family to know?" Sadie asked, her voice rising dangerously.

 "Because sweetie, I had to wait until the right time, until you were ready to accept it on your own." Mary Beth had reappeared, and was bending over Sadie, rubbing what looked like a mixture of mashed herbs over her belly.

"Do you have any bottles in your car? I need to feed Ida." She grumbled, yanking her shirt back down and glaring at her family members.

"Yeah, in the backseat." Derek said quietly. He had a feeling that Sadie just needed a few minutes alone to process all of this. She stomped off the porch, and disappeared behind the sheets on the clothesline.

"Derek dear, there's something you should know about my lovely Sadie." Mary Beth said gently, having returned to her rocking chair. "While all of my grand kids inherited some magic from my family, Sadie inherited something from her grandfather as well... She is loyal to a fault. Now that you have helped her, have been there for her, have earned her trust, she will do anything and everything you ask. Sadie will take a bullet for you." She paused, and Derek met her steely stare. "Do not take advantage of her."

"I would never," Derek murmured, and for once, he knew that was the truth. Sadie was different than any other person he had ever come in contact with. And he wasn't joking when he teased her about having so babies. The animalistic part of him had already Chosen her as his mate. She was the one. Now the human side just had to catch up.

"Better not, cause you'll have to answer to me," Levi glowered from the railing, the fawn still curled in his arms. Derek took a moment to fully take in Sadie's brothers appearance. He was probably almost six feet tall, and moderately muscled. His eyes were a lighter blue compared to Sadie's almost gray, and his nose was prominent on his face. His hair was a thick sandy brown, and it covered his arms and chest. Dude would make a good werewolf. Derek raised his brows at Levi, and he shrunk back slightly.

 "I've got a snack for you handsome!" The sound of Sadie's voice had Derek looking up. She was standing in the yard, grinning at the horse that was nuzzling at her pockets. Sadie stepped beneath the horse's neck, and to Derek's amusement, the horse started nipping at her back pockets. After a few seconds Sadie turned around and dug a sugar cube out of her pocket, allowing the horse to eat it off her hand. The pair stood together after, the horses head resting calmly on Sadie's shoulder, her hair glimmering in the sunlight.

"There's nothing quite as beautiful as a woman and her horse," Mary Beth said with a chuckle, and Derek realized he had moved to the railing, staring at Sadie. "Sadie has a way with animals." Derek didn't miss the irony I'm that statement.

"Why didn't I get into horses?" Lydia half whined.

"Sadie tried, actually forced you to ride with her, but your natural aversion to getting your hands dirty kind of made it difficult." Mary Beth seemed to find everything humorous. Perhaps this was more entertainment she'd had in years. And for some reason Derek found himself wanting to provide her and her granddaughter with entertainment for years to come.

 

 

Pete nickered softly, his lips tugging gently on Sadie shirt as she ran her hands through his mane. She couldn't quite believe that her grandmother had always known about this supernatural shit, but then again, it wasn't that much of a stretch. This time Sadie decided to just roll with it, hopefully avoiding the little mental breakdown she'd had last week. And then there was Derek. From the moment she had been separated from him this morning, she hadn't stopped thinking about him. About his eyes, his hair, his fucking perfect body. How he made her feel,  how he moved, the mystery that he still was to her. She hated this new obsession. She didn't want it. What she wanted was to be her own woman, to be strong. But she knew she wouldn't be able to leave this Derek thing alone, maybe, just maybe, he could make her stronger.

Sadie returned the the porch, bottle in hand and Pete following close behind her.

"So does mom and dad know about all this stuff too?" She directed the question at her grandmother as she handed Levi the bottle for Ida.

"Daniel knows yes, your mother doesn't. And Natalie doesn't either." Gram answered, calm as ever.

"Why doesn't my mom know?" Lydia asked, suddenly paying full attention.

"I have three children, Daniel and Martha have personalities that make them more open to this kind of thing. Natalie however, was very similar to you Lydia. She would never have been able to believe it, plus the role of our family is heavily connected to nature, and your mother, well, your mother really isn't into the whole outside thing." Gram explained, smiling gently at her grandchildren.

"Have you seen this symbol before? The one on me?" Sadie asked after a minute of silence.

"The solar cross? Yes I've seen it, it's a very common symbol that crosses many religions. I don't however know why it's burned onto your skin." Her gram looked at her curiously. Sadie sighed, not sure if she should tell her gram the whole story or not. Deciding against it, she instead wrapped her fingers around Derek's wrist.

"Hmmm, well me and Derek are going for a ride. Bye." She chirped dragging him to the steps before dropping his wrist and climbing somewhat awkwardly onto Pete's back.

"Come on Derek," she called, patting the horse's back behind her. Derek looked at her hesitantly, almost as if he didn't think this was a good idea. "Let's go wolf boy!" She teased.

"That's my girl," Gram chuckled as Derek glared at her, before jumping easily up behind her. Sadie kicked Pete's sides, and he took off at a trot. She could hear Derek gasp slightly, and his arms wrapped tightly around her. They were riding bare back, but Pete did have a bridle on, and Sadie gripped the reins in her hands. Pete's hooves tore up the ground, breaking into a canter and flying them across the pastures. Sadie steered him into the woods, slowing Pete to a walk as they hit the shaded path.

"I like your family," Derek said quietly after a few moments, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"They're a little crazy, wait till you meet my parents," Sadie grumbled, leaning slightly back against Derek's chest.

"You want me to meet your parents," he chuckled, his warm breath tickling her ear. Sadie found herself giggling, her face flushing. She grumbled indiscriminately under her breath, embarrassed that she'd let her long term thoughts slip out. "I had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by family." Derek's voice had softened slightly, and Sadie instantly felt a sadness about him. She transferred the reins to one hand, lacing her free fingers through Derek's that were resting on her stomach. I want you to be in my family.

Sadie kept her thoughts to herself though, not wanting to come on too strong. They meandered through the woods in comfortable silence, before slowly making their way back to the house. Her brother, Lydia, and her three additional cousins, Kevin, Jimmy and Luke, were all standing in front of the barn, waiting for her. Sadie glared at them and rode right past them into the barn, jumping off Pete easily.

Her brother and cousins had followed them in, and Sadie continued to glare at them as Derek softly landed behind her.

"Can I help you?" She sneered, feeling slightly uncomfortable as Kevin glared at Derek over her shoulder.

"Family meeting," Luke, the youngest, said cheerily, grabbing Sadie's arm and dragging her towards the hayloft.

"Sorry!" Sadie mouthed at Derek, having no Choice but to leave him standing with her horse. She followed Luke and Jimmy up to the hayloft, Kevin, Levi and Lydia hot on her heels. They all flopped down onto the floor or hay bales, taking up the same positions they had taken in years past. Sadie knew she was blessed to have such a tight knit family, to be so close to her cousins and her brother. Unfortunately, right now, they were being really freaking annoying.

"What do you guys think you're doing?" Sadie asked, climbing up onto the stack of hay bales and resting her elbows on her knees.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Kevin had remained standing, leaning up against a post, his arms folded as he glared. He was the same age as Sadie, but at first glance you would never know they were related. He and Luke, who was 15, both looked like their dad: dark brown hair, smooth tan skin. They did however have their grandmother's sparkling blue eyes, which only made their appearance more striking. Jimmy, who was 19, looked very much like Sadie. In fact, most people assumed that he was her brother instead of Levi.

"Of course I know what I'm doing, I'm not a child Kev," Sadie snarled, offended.

"You do know he's a werewolf... Right?" Levi asked from his seat on the floor, ripping pieces of hay apart. Sadie rolled her eyes at her brother, still annoyed that they all knew about his before her.

"Obviously. I can't believe you guys didn't tell me about this!" She hissed, worrying, no knowing, that Derek would definitely be able hear this whole thing.

"I'm a cop Sadie, and my gut says he's bad news," Kevin added, wiping his face off with the bottom of his t-shirt.

"Oh Jesus Christ Kevin, I'm in the freaking FBI" Sadie moaned, leaning back into the hay and slinging her arm across her eyes. "Can we please talk about how you people hid an entire supernatural world from me?"

"We- I wanted to tell you!" Luke insisted, climbing up onto the hay beside her. "But Gram threatened to beat us with her spoon if we told." Sadie chuckled and shook her head.

"She would never..."

"We know," Lydia said with a sigh, "but she also said that if we told you before you were ready, you'd just freak out... She didn't tell any of us until we came into contact with something supernatural."

Sadie looked around at her family, chewing on her lip.

"So I know you're a banshee, what about the rest of you?"

"Me, Kevin, and Levi had a run in with some werewolves one night when I was still in junior high," Jimmy said cheerily, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "They were actually looking for gram, but it was a little tense."

"Derek?" Sadie asked immediately,  praying to god that she wouldn't be put between Derek and her family.

"Nah, I don't think so," Levi shook his head, his face full of guilt. "I'm sorry Sade, I really wanted to tell you... But gram was right, you would've freaked out."

"She did freak out, actually." Lydia was perched on a hay bale, Jimmy's slightly sweaty shirt underneath her legs. Sadie threw a piece of hay at her, not necessarily wanting to bring that whole episode up.

"What about you Lukey?" She nudged him with her elbow. Her grinned up at her.

"I'm magical, like Gram!"

"He's a fairy actually," Kevin smirked, causing Luke to hiss and leap from his perch, arms swinging.

"I'm not a fairy!" He yelled, "I'm a nymph!"

"Still girly as all hell," Levi chuckled, pulling Luke off his brother's back.

"Anyways, how do you know you can trust Hale anyway?" Kevin pushed away from Luke and moved closer to Sadie, raising his eyebrows.

"If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead so..." Sadie tried to sound almost careless, but she couldn't fool her cousins. They all stared, waiting for the story. When she remained silent, Lydia sighed heavily.

"Sadie was kidnapped by two werewolves. They branded her with their pack's symbol, and they would've killed her if not for Derek. Well actually, if I hadn't sensed it she would be dead, but since she seems to place the whole thing on Derek's shoulders..."

Sadie rolled her eyes at Lydia and lifted the hem of her shirt, showing her cousins the burn.

"Jesus Christ!" Jimmy hissed, his fists balling. "Who did this to you!"

"They've been arrested... And you all seem to be forgetting that I am actually an FBI agent soooo I've got this under control." Sadie yanked her shirt down and went to climb down from the hay.

"Just because he saved you doesn't mean that we can automatically trust Hale." Kevin growled, a stubborn look on his face.

"For gods sake! Lydia, can you please back me up on this?"

Lydia stared at her nails for a few seconds, looking bored.

"I don't necessarily trust Derek." She said finally.

"Lydia!" Sadie whined, running her hands through her hair.

"Let me finish! Derek is very different with Sadie though. I don't think he would ever hurt her. You should've seen him the night of her kidnapping." Lydia rolled her eyes. "Plus Gram already gave him a warning and he seemed pretty sincere."

"Well if Gram is ok with him I'm ok with him," Jimmy announced, sticking a piece of hay in his mouth and grinning.

"You're forgetting that Gram has a weakness for pretty boys," Kevin said lowly. Sadie glared at him, and then smirked.

"Are you sure that this is about Derek being a werewolf? Or is it because he showed you up on the court in high school?"

"Ah fuck off Sade," he flipped her off as Levi and Jimmy burst into giggles, and Luke gave her a high five.

"Listen guys, I appreciate your concern, but I'm a grown ass woman." She shot a glare at her brother when he snorted. "And I can take care of myself. This family meeting is over." She leaped down from the hay and tossed her hair up into a messy bun. Kevin shook his head as she walked by, but she ignored him and clattered down the stairs. She was surprised to see Pete in his stall, bridle hanging on the wall and munching happily on some fresh hay. Frowning slightly she strode towards the door, squinting into the sunlight. And then she almost fainted.

Sadie had always fancied herself marrying a country boy. There was something about a guy that could fix his own truck, plow a field, and milk a cow all in the same day. She had kind of given up on the whole thing though. Every one she'd ever met was either in a long term relationship, married, or a super douche bag. But now, as she blindly reached her hand out for something to lean on, her hope had been restored. She found the door frame and leaned heavily against it, sighing loudly.

There was a pickup truck in the yard, hitched to one hay trailer stacked full of green bales. Derek was standing on the tongue of a second trailer, easily tossing bales to the farmer in the back of the truck. Grandpa was leaning against the bed of the truck, talking loudly. Derek tossed another bale, and Sadie was completely transfixed. Sweat glistened on his biceps as they flexed, and it stained the chest and back of his gray muscle shirt.

"That's good Derek, thanks." Gramps yelled, and Derek nodded. He paused and yanked his shirt over his head, using it to wipe his face.

"Lord have mercy," Lydia had come up behind Sadie, and she too was staring.

"I still don't think he's real." Sadie whispered to her, eyes never leaving Derek.

"When you two are done gawking, could you come over here?" Gram was yelling from the porch of the house, of course making a scene. Derek had whipped his head around at her voice, before his eyes found Sadie, sparkling with amusement. Both Sadie and Lydia flushed and hurried across the yard, trying to ignore the chuckles coming from their grandfather's direction.

"Gram. Do you have to be so loud?" Lydia hissed as they stepped onto the porch. Gram chuckled to herself, handing Sadie a jug of iced tea and a stack of plastic cups.

"Sadie, why don't you bring that sexy man of yours, and that sexy man of mine some tea." She said with a grin. Sadie just nodded, all to eager to get back to Derek. She felt like she was in high school again, when she and her friends would sit on the bleachers and watch the football team scrimmage shirts versus skins. Except this was a full grown, sexy ass, hotter than hell werewolf. And Sadie wanted a bite.

She trudged over to the hay trailer, staring lustfully up at Derek the whole way. She set the jug on the tongue of the trailer, blushing as he winked at her.

"Hey thanks punk," Gramp had walked up beside her, wrapping one arm warmly around her and waving as the farmer drove off. He scared Sadie out of her little horny reverie.

 "Welcome Gramp," she smiled warmly up at him, and he kissed her lightly on the forehead. She filled a cup with tea for him, and then one for Derek, who had sat next to the jug of tea, his knee brushing slightly against her. He smiled at her in thanks, but his expression went neutral as he looked at something over her shoulder. Rolling her eyes, Sadie turned to glare at Kevin.

"Hale." Kevin's growl was almost as menacing as Derek's.

"Burnham." Derek's voice wasn't nearly as threatening, simply neutral.

"Oh for God's sake," Sadie hissed, turning fully around to stare at her cousins. "Give it up! You arse, high school was ages ago!"

 "Now, now kids." Mary Beth pushed in between Sadie and Kevin, a small smirk on her face. "Sadie, I think Derek should take you home so you can get some rest. Kevin, go do something useful. All of you, scoot!" She waved her hands, and all her grandchildren started moving without direction, running into each other and grumbling.

"Sadie!" Levi called her name, beckoning for her. "You need to visit mom and dad." He said lowly, flicking at her nose. "You've only come over once."

 "I know." Sadie sighed. "I will. Once this all clears up. I'll text you later." She hugged her brother before walking away from him, scooping Ida up into her arms. "Bye Lyds." She pecked her cousin’s cheek, and then hugged both her grandparents. "Come on," she hissed at Derek, who seemed to be amused by all the action. "Gotta escape while we have the chance!"

 

 


	14. I Knew You Were Trouble

Derek was finding it increasingly difficult to drive with Sadie Sheldon in his passenger seat. To put it simply, she was beyond distracting. And not just because she was pretty.

“Do you seriously not even have radio stations programed?” she whined, jabbing her finger at the buttons on the stereo. Derek just shrugged.

“I prefer the silence.” He had to fight to keep from smirking when she froze, slowly turning her head to glare at him.

“Seriously?!” she looked aghast. “Listen, I can deal with the whole werewolf thing, but what kind of monster doesn’t like to listen to music!” Settling on a station she leaned back in the seat, her blue eyes still fixed on Derek. “Come on Hale, you must have a song or artist you’re partial to?” With a sigh Derek thought about it for a moment, not even sure why he was humoring her.

“I don’t know… John Cougar Mellencamp? Hootie and the Blowfish?” Sadie stared at him a beat before bursting into a loud belly laugh.

“The nineties called,” she could barely speak through her giggles. “They want their music back!”

“Hey, you asked.” he grumbled, trying not to give in to her contagious laughter. But then he wondered, what was the point of keeping up his grumpy reputation in front of Sadie? He had no desire to intimidate her, no reason or want for her to look up to him or see him as a mentor. He just wanted her to like him. Which reminded him. “How was your family meeting?”

Sadie groaned and leaned back into the seat.

“Ugh family. I love them to death but sometimes…” she sighed. “I’m still kind of irritated that they all knew about werewolves and magic and stuff and never told me. And I’m definitely super annoyed with Kevin. He’s an idiot.”

“What’s up with him?” Derek phrased his question carefully. Anybody could tell that Sadie was fiercely protective and loyal to her family. And even though she was annoyed with her cousins, he had a feeling that she would still get her hackles up if he insulted them.

“Besides being stupid…” she growled, but then her expression cleared. “I think he’s mostly just being protective of me. He says that he doesn't trust you, but I think he’s still harboring some resentment from the Maple Ridge/ Beacon Hills rivalry.”

Derek couldn't help but wonder if maybe Kevin was right. Maybe he shouldn't be trusted with Sadie. Danger, bad luck, and tragedy seemed to follow him like a black cloud.

“Maybe he’s right, maybe I’m-”

“Don’t.” Sadie cut him off, silencing him with a steely look. He could feel her fingers rest gently on his arm, trying to ignore the tingle of electricity that traveled through his body. “I trust you. You saved my life. And you… you make me feel safe. That’s all that matters.” When he glanced down at her she was blushing slightly. And then she was cranking up the music, drumming on the dashboard. “Well I’ll keep drinkin’, and you’ll keep gettin’ skinnier… I’m just like you, only prettier.”

The song ended quickly and she sighed, looking disappointed. “Man, that’s my jam.” she grumbled, craning in her seat to look at Ida.

“Is it ok if we stop at my apartment quick?” Derek asked, watching as she sat up quickly with a grin. “I need to get some clothes.”

“Yeah! That’s fine!” she was still grinning, so Derek raised his eyebrows.

“No need to get all excited there princess.” Her grin dropped and was replaced with a dirty look. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, as if formulating a response. But then she was distracted, turning up the radio and returning to her singing. Derek just shook his head. She was unbelievable.

\---

Sadie was excited to see Derek’s apartment. She imagined it would be like unlocking one of the many doors to the person he was. But as they drove into the industrial side of town, she began to wonder… This might not turn out like she expected. He parked in front of what may have been an old mill or possibly a factory in a previous life. It was all faded brick and wood. She followed him cautiously up a set of wide stairs, Ida tucked carefully under her arm.

Derek paused in front of the door, glaring at the unlocked padlock hanging from a latch.

“What’s the matter?” Sadie whispered. Who even had a padlock on the outside of their door anyways. What kind of operation was this?

“My uncle’s here.” Derek growled as he slid the door open. Uncle? A sliding door? What? Ida immediately began to struggle in Sadie’s arms as they stepped inside, her little body tense with fear.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Sadie whispered, pressing a kiss to the fawns head and stroking her back. She calmed slightly, but buried her face between Sadie’s arm and her side, breathing heavily. And Sadie soon realized why. Sitting on the couch in the center of the apartment, was a man who could only be Derek’s uncle.

He was dangerously handsome, combined with the light filtering in through the bay window behind him, he looked like a mobster or something. He was wearing a v-neck t-shirt, showing off a defined chest and arms. And his eyes. His eyes were a light blue, and fixed intently on Sadie. She gulped.

“Sadie, this is Peter.” Derek’s arm wrapped protectively around her as he spoke. She could almost feel the annoyance rippling off him.

“Ah,” Peter stood gracefully, setting the book he was holding on the coffee table. “So you’re the Sadie Sheldon I’ve been hearing so much about.” His voice had a melodic quality to it, but his tone sent shivers down Sadie’s spine.

“Um, I guess.” she glanced at Derek, who shook his head slightly. Peter chuckled, not missing their silent communication.

“Oh don’t worry, most of my information has come from those insufferable teenagers that show up here uninvited-” Derek snorted, cutting him off.

“I don’t remember extending an invitation to you either.” he growled, moving away from Sadie and towards the bed situated in the corner.

“Is that anyway to treat your favorite uncle?” Peter clutched at his heart dramatically, chuckling again when Derek just rolled his eyes. And then his gaze returned to Sadie, who shifted uncomfortably. “What was I saying? Oh yes, Derek only mentioned that you were beautiful… but I don’t think I’ve met someone with your kind of beauty in years.”

“I’m sorry,” Sadie forced herself to speak. She could totally handle this guy. “I don’t know what you mean?” She didn't really think of herself as all that beautiful anyway. Lydia was beautiful. She considered herself pretty, on her good days.

“Well Miss Sadie,” Peter smiled at her, something between seductive and evil. “You are timeless, like… a goddess.” She just stared at him for a moment, before turning to look at Derek with her eyebrows raised.

“Is he alright?” she asked, motioning her head towards Peter. Derek actually let out a huff of laughter as he returned to her side.

“You have no idea.” Placing a large hand on her waist he steered her towards the door. “Let’s go before he really goes off the deep end.”

“Wait!” Peter reached out, grabbing Derek’s arm. “What’s the matter with her?” He was staring at Derek’s arm, where his veins were turning black. Sadie hadn’t realized what Derek was doing, but she didn’t see why it was such a big deal.

“I burned myself last night,” she offered, stepping out of Derek’s grasp. He looked at her and rolled his eyes, as if to say that his uncle wasn't going to believe that. Which he didn’t.

“What really happened?” Peter asked again, looking at Derek expectantly. Derek sighed, pulling Sadie back to him and pressing his hand firmly against her burn.

“She had a run in with the other pack in town. They roughed her up a bit.” His answer was nonchalant, and she wondered why he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

“Roughed her up?” It was becoming apparent that Peter was sharp, nothing ever slipping his notice.

“Yeah, you know-”

“They branded me.” Sadie cut him off, shifting Ida so she could lift the hem of her shirt. “Solar Cross.”

Peter’s eyes widened, but when he reached out a hand to touch it, Derek pulled her back with a growl. Looking between the two of them Peter just smirked. Sadie couldn't decided if she kind of liked him, or kind of hated him. He definitely made her (and Ida) nervous, that’s for sure.

“Come on Sadie, let’s go.” Derek grumbled, pulling her towards the door. She followed him wordlessly, deciding that now was not the time to argue. But this whole thing with his uncle was not going to be swept under the rug. That was for sure.

Derek’s phone began to ring as they climbed into his SUV.

“Deaton,” Derek answered in a serious tone.  Sadie rolled her eyes. Dude needed to lighten up a shade or two. “Yeah she’s with me, I’ll put her on speaker.” He tapped a button on the phone, and then placed it on the dashboard between them.

“Hello Sadie, how are you feeling today?” Dr. Deaton’s gentle voice spoke from the phone, causing Sadie to smile.

“Pretty well thanks. I have my own personal morphine drip following me around, so life is good.” she replied cheerfully, smirking at Derek when he rolled his eyes.

“Yes well, I guess that is one advantage to having a werewolf around.” Deaton chuckled, before his tone turned serious. “I know that Derek just picked Ida up, but I have found a wildlife rescue that would be willing to take her.”

Sadie felt panic well up inside her but she pushed it down, forcing herself to keep it together.

“Oh, that’s great.” she knew her voice sounded overly cheerfully. But Derek’s warm hand was reaching for hers, and his touch seemed to sooth her.

“I know that this will be hard for you, but I don't think it is best for Ida to be around werewolves. It takes away her natural fear that she needs to survive.” Deaton continued.

“Yeah no, I totally agree.” Sadie squeezed Derek’s hand as she spoke.

“When should be bring her there?” Derek asked, his thumb drawing circles on the back of her hand.

“I’m going there tomorrow morning to check on an injured fox, if possible, I’d like to bring her with me then.”

Neither Derek or Sadie spoke for a moment, both staring at Ida curled up in the back seat.

“Ok.” Derek said finally, smiling sadly at Sadie. “We’ll bring her by tonight.”

Sadie was silent as Derek drove to her house, his thumb still tracing designs on the back of her hand. She was going to miss Ida, but she knew Deaton was right. An animal's instincts are all it has. It made her wonder. When she’s first met Derek, hell, even with Scott, she’d known something was up. Did all humans sense this in the presence of werewolves? Or did whatever weirdness she’d inherited from her grandmother make her more sensitive to these kind of things? Either way, she’d overcome her natural fear. Which may not have been a good thing. Don’t forget that you immediately felt protected around him as well. Sadie frowned at her thoughts. How could someone feel scared and safe a the same time? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> XOXO - B


	15. Gonna Show Him What Little Girls Are Made Of

"Okay Sadie, show us what you got."

 

Sadie was standing in Derek's loft, facing the pack of teenagers. They were supposed to be teaching her how to fight werewolves, but apparently it was really just a test. Sadie stretched her arms high over her head and cracked her back, hoping she didn't get too hurt. This wasn't exactly her favorite way to spend a Sunday. She would much prefer to be in bed. With Derek. Naked. Focus.

 

"Alright," she cranked up the radio and beckoned to Lydia. "I'll start with you little cuz, think you can beat me now?" Sadie's dad had taught all the cousins how to fight at a young age, and they used to practice on each other for hours. Being the only two girls, poor Lydia had had her share of bruises from Sadie.

 

Lydia smirked and slowly stalked towards her, and a loud bass line started bumping through the speakers. Sadie grinned back, sinking into her fighting stance. Lydia swung first, and Sadie gracefully ducked her, spinning to face her cousin. Lydia hissed and circled her, going in for another punch. This time Sadie grabbed her arm and flipped her hard onto the mat beneath their feet. Surprisingly Lydia bounced back up, quickly kicking out. Sadie grabbed her foot and twisting, knocking her cousin to the ground and pressing a knee to her back.

 

"Better luck next time kid," she grinned as Lydia rolled off the mat in defeat. Out of the corner of her eye Sadie could see Malia moving towards her. She grabbed a crowbar that was lying on the floor, diving out of the way as the werecoyote crashed into the wall behind her. Malia was quickly back on her feet, her eyes glowing blue and her fangs out. Sadie's heart was pounding, but she grinned.

 

"You said I can't hurt them right?" She asked Derek who nodded. Malia came flying at her again, and this time Sadie caught her across the stomach with the crowbar. Malia stumbled, and Sadie kicked her hard in the chest, causing her to fall onto the mat on her back. Sadie stood over her, resting the end of the bar on her chest, smirking as Malia's eyes faded back to brown.

 

"Next," Derek drawled. Sadie could've sworn he was enjoying this. Kira stepped forward, and Sadie felt a little more nervous.

 

"No sword Kira?" She asked, eyeing the crowbar Kira was wielding.

 

"Wouldn't be a fair fight," Kira answered, a small smile on her face. Right. Sadie was trained more like a marine: hand to hand combat, and simply taking someone down. Swordsmanship was a whole other story. Kira circled around her, twirling the bar easily in her hands. Her movements were smooth and quick, and Sadie almost didn't see her coming. The bar passed just over her nose as she bent backwards, the swing ruffling her hair. As she straightened up Kira swung again, and this time Sadie was able to block the swing, their bars clanging loudly against each other. The girls circled each other again, and Sadie ran straight at Kira, taking her by surprise. The fox leapt out of the way, giving Sadie the opportunity to knock her legs out from underneath her. She held her bar to Kira's neck, symbolizing that she could've killed her.

 

Before anyone had the chance to say next, Isaac was already stalking towards her. Sadie tightened her hands on the crow bar, watching him warily as he circled her, claws out.

 

"Bring it Isaac," she hissed, taking a hesitant step towards him. He grinned at her, and before she could blink, the bar had been ripped from her hands and clattered against the wall.

 

"Easy Isaac," Derek growled, his body suddenly tense.

 

"Relax," Sadie hissed at him, annoyed that he would try to interfere. Isaac rushed her again, tackling her rather gently onto the mat.

 

"Got ya!" He smirked, thinking he'd already beat her. Sadie grinned and kneed him hard in the stomach, causing him to moan and double over reflexively. He was soon back on his feet, eyes glowing as they faced off. Isaac rushed her again, and this time Sadie was ready for him. As he barreled towards her she placed her hands on his broad shoulders, and praying to god that this would work, she flipped over his back. In one quick move she grabbed the knife that was stuck in her boot and spun around, grabbing a fistful of blonde curls and holding the knife to his throat.

 

"You know the sheath is on that thing still right?" Isaac chuckled.

 

"Unless you wanna be paralyzed from the neck down, you probably want her to keep it that way." A familiar male voice spoke from the doorway, and Sadie felt herself breaking into a grin.

 

"Chris!" She squealed, releasing Isaac and running to Chris Argent, falling into his hug.

 

"Why are you beating these guys up?" He asked her, amusement sparkling in his eyes. Sadie shrugged and observed the defeated teens.

 

"Where's Stiles?" She asked, smirking as his head popped up from behind the couch.

 

"You can mark me down as scared and horny," he announced, slowly standing. Derek growled at him, and Stiles shrunk back again.

 

"You two know each other?" Scott asked curiously.

 

"Chris and my dad are really good friends, and they work together. In fact, they made me this knife!" She held it up with a grin, admiring the finely crafted wooden handle.

 

"Your 22nd birthday right? Around a year ago?" Chris asked, and Sadie nodded.

 

"Kanima," Derek whispered, his eyes wide as he stared at Sadie's knife. It made sense now, she had read about the kanima in her new glossary, how it's venom was a paralytic agent.

 

"Did you know Allison?" Lydia asked quietly, and Sadie nodded sadly.

 

"Allison idolized Sadie when she was little," Chris answered before Sadie could. "Unfortunately we moved away when Allison was very small still, or they would've been closer. Sadie and Levi are like my niece and nephew." He smiled fondly at Sadie. "I'm guessing these guys were going to teach you how to fight?"

 

"I think she could teach them a few things," Derek murmured with what sounded like pride. Sadie blushed slightly and shrugged.

 

"I wanna see her fight you!" Isaac said with a satisfied smirk.

 

"Bad idea," Lydia drawled in that all knowing tone she had.

 

"If you think he would hurt her, I don't think he would... I think she could probably beat him," Isaac added, moving so that Scott was between him and the scowling Derek.

 

"It's not that, they're just gonna end up naked that's all... Way too much sexual tension for wrestling." Lydia said nonchalantly, winking at Sadie and flinging her hair over her shoulder. All the teens giggled as Derek glared at them all, his fists clenched tightly.

 

"While this has been exceedingly entertaining, I did come here for a purpose." Chris said softly, dropping the backpack he had slung over his shoulder with a thud onto the table. "I've brought Sadie what she actually needs, weapons, not training." He deftly unzipped the bag. "This is a taser. Werewolves are easily affected by electricity, it keeps them from transforming." Sadie nodded and took it from him, testing the weight in her hand before sticking it in the waistband of her leggings. "These are flash bombs, if you shoot them at night, it impairs the wolves' vision. Have saved my life thousands of times." He handed her a box of the bombs, as the pack looked on warily. "And this is a gun that can shoot them. Once you tell your father you're involved in all of this, he can really get you set up."

 

"I'm not telling my dad." Sadie grumbled, taking the gun from Chris rather reluctantly.

 

"Sadie, you and your father are both awful liars, but you're both real good at picking out liars too. Good luck hiding anything from him." Chris was shaking his head knowingly at her. Sadie pouted, knowing deep down that he was right. She was really close with her dad, and could never hide anything from him. Ever. Hence why she’d been avoiding her parents.

 

"Ugh fine, I'll tell him... Eventually." She grumbled, placing Argent's gun in her purse along with the flash bombs.

 

"That's my girl," Chris grinned and kissed her head. "Later kids? Behave," he waved to the rest of the pack and headed back out of the loft.

 

"You guys hungry? Wanna get pizza?" Sadie asked, as she zipped her purse carefully closed.

 

"Yes!"

 

"Oh my god that'd be awesome!"

 

"I'm starving!"

 

"Derek never buys us food!"

 

"You never feed them? Really?" Sadie blocked out the squabble and raised her brows at Derek. He shrugged, nonplused.

 

"Why do I need to buy them food? I do enough already." He grumbled, scowling at Stiles who was inching closer to Sadie.

 

"Right," Sadie rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone, dialing the closest pizza place.

 

 

Derek watched her stride over to the bay window, phone to her ear. Watching her fight, she seemed like a completely different girl than the broken one he'd watched just two nights ago. For the first time since Paige, he felt like he was actually getting to know a woman. At first it'd been her looks that attracted him, and then her spunk. But now... Now he felt like he was falling for her spirit, her heart, her soul.

 

"Hi yes, I'd like to place a delivery order," Sadie was facing away from them all, and Derek watched as she absently pulled the tie out of her hair. The smell of her shampoo wafted towards him as she ran her fingers through the slightly tangled red strands. "Can I get 2 large pepperonis, one large vegetarian, and one large buffalo chicken." Four pizzas? Do we really need four pizzas! Derek glanced around, for the first time realizing that he had six teenagers in his apartment, and three of them were hungry werewolves. Oh yeah, definitely need four pizzas. When he turned back to Sadie, she had managed to move into what passed as his kitchen.

 

"Derek!" She yelled for him, a look of disbelief on her face. Ambling over, Derek fought to keep the neutral, slightly grumpy expression he always wore in place. "Why don't you have plates? Or cups?" She asked incredulously. He shrugged, staring at his sparse cupboards.

 

“I have a coffee cup and a roll of paper towels… What more do I need?” She stared at him for a minute, dumbfounded.

 

“What do you eat?” She asked finally, almost as if she was worried about him.

 

“I dunno,” he shrugged again. “I mostly eat out I guess… I don’t think about food that much.”

 

“Oh my God!” she shook her head. “Well I need to go get plates… And cups. And soda.” She started walking towards the door, grabbing her purse off the table.

 

“Just where do you think you’re going?” He growled, following close behind her. She turned around and glared at him.

 

“I just told you dummy. To the convenience store down the street.”

 

“Not alone.” She rolled her eyes, pulling her wallet out and stomping over to Lydia, holding out a credit card.

 

“If the pizza comes before I,” Cue eye roll. “We get back, pay for it with this. And don’t forget to tip him…” She paused, a little smirk on her lips. “More if he’s cute.” And then she was spinning around and heading out the door. He stared after her a moment, mesmerized.

 

The way she talked, the way she moved, the way her ass looked in those tight leggings. The color her cheeks turned when she blushed, the unrestrained way she laughed, her incomparable love for her family. He found himself becoming obsessed with all the little details. He wanted to commit everything about her to memory. Forever.

 

“Hale!” Her yell from the stairwell had him jumping. “Are you coming or what?” He hurried towards the door, trying to ignore the snickers coming from the teenagers.

 

“Oh he’s coming alright,” Stiles chuckled, causing Derek to debate turning around and beating his ass just this once. Thinking better of it he just bared his teeth, before hurrying after Sadie.

 

She was quiet as they walked down the street, but Derek didn’t mind. It was comfortable, amicable. He liked the quiet. Almost as much as he liked feeling her hand bump against his, then her tiny pinky hooking around his own, much larger finger. His inner wolf was tearing at the walls, wanting to push her up against the nearest wall and make her his. But Derek fought back, happy to just pull her whole hand into his and feel the small electric currents running up his arm from her touch.

 

Derek let her lead him into the store, heart dropping slightly when she released his hand. She was loading up, paper plates, paper cups, three bags of Doritos… She paused in front of the drink cooler, just staring.

“Problems?” He asked, coming up beside her and folding his arms. Sadie sighed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

 

“How much Soda do you think we’ll need? Like four bottles? Or should I try and find a box of cans?” She looked up at him, actually expecting an answer. For some reason, these questions dumbfounded Derek. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d even tried to figure out something as mundane as how much soda would a bunch of teenagers drink. “All I know, is that I need beer.” Sadie said finally, sliding open the fridge and pulling out a six pack of Bud Light. “Do you want any?” Derek shook his head. His body burned off the alcohol before a buzz could even try to set in.

 

“I think four bottles is good.” He said finally, grabbing an assortment out of the cooler. “I guess.”

 

“Ok, come on.” she led him up to the counter, dropping the items in her arms and taking out her wallet.

 

“Don’t,” he pushed in front of her. “I’ve got it.” He wasn’t about to let her buy pizza for the shitheads and then all this stuff too. He handed the cashier some cash, glaring at the guy until he stopped gawking at Sadie. “Come on babe, let’s go.” He growled, feeling satisfied when the cashier’s face blanched white.

 

“Babe! Really?!” Sadie hissed once they were back on the street.

 

“He was looking at you funny! I didn't like it!” Derek was defensive. “You don't usually care when I call you babe.”

 

She didn't respond, but Derek couldn't focus on that at the moment. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, the sound of careful footsteps echoing in his ears. They were being followed. Taking action he shifted the bags into his left hand, reaching forward and grabbing Sadie with his right. Bending, he hoisted her over his shoulder as she squealed loudly.

 

“Play along or so help me God,” he growled, sighing in relief when she giggled and hung down his back, wrapping her arms around his middle. So Derek ran. He took off for his loft, skidding to a halt at the base of the stairs. He set Sadie down, pushing her up against the wall. To a passerby it would appear that they were making out. But Derek was simply shielding her until he could focus on his surroundings.

“What-” he covered her mouth with his hand.

“Just put your arms around my neck, now.” he hissed. Sadie glared at him for a minute before complying, her little fingers twisting into the hair on the back of his head. He took a deep breath. Her fingers in his hair did not help his concentration whatsoever. There were no footsteps, no heartbeats other than his, Sadie’s, and the faint but recognizable ones belonging to his pack. He’d lost them. “Someone was following us.” He growled finally, stepping back and letting Sadie have space. Her eyes widened for a moment, but he could see her controlling her emotions.

 

“Oh. Awesome.” she whispered, pushing away from the wall. “Well let’s go eat, I’m starved.”

 

Once again Derek found himself staring after her as she climbed the stairs. She was handling this remarkably well, almost as if she was cut out for it. Almost like she was made for him.

 

 


	16. Fearless

Sadie and Derek had been sharing a bed for three nights, and when she awoke Monday morning, tangled in his sheets, she had come to some conclusions. With the exception of the first night, they never slept cuddled up. She figured it was conscious, in that they were struggling to keep things from getting awkward. They were on opposite sides of the bed, but somehow, in the night, their arms had stretched for each other, fingers linked together in the middle of the bed. The same thing had occurred the morning before, in Sadie's apartment, but both times she had untangled them before Derek could see. She still wasn't exactly sure what they were doing together. They were at that awful stage of a relationship where they really should talk, but nobody wants to actually be that serious yet. To make it all worse, Sadie was a natural born over analyzer. Her training as an auditor, and now her work with the FBI, had only escalated the habit.

 

Now she found herself locked in Derek's bathroom, painstakingly curling her hair, and analyzing every aspect of their relationship. Ryan had been her only serious boyfriend, and they never went through the whole get to know you, let's be friends first phase. He was Hannah's boyfriend's roommate, and they had hit it off the first time they met. Sadie had been eager to please and desperate for attention, and they had spent the night making out in the backseat of his pick up. Derek was the opposite. Or maybe Sadie was simply more guarded now. Her attraction to him had been instant, coming over her like a wave crashing onto the beach. But the friendship, companionship, relationship that the two of them were cultivating was in a word, captivating. He consumed her; even the short time that they had been apart over the weekend, he had been the only thing on her mind. While she should've been focused on figuring out who was really behind her abduction, she instead was day dreaming about making out with Derek. It was frustrating.

 

Sadie sprayed hairspray over her curls, fluffing them gently. After lining her lids with dark brown and coating her lashes with mascara, she swiped dark pink lipstick on her lips. Today she was wearing sand colored ankle pants and a light blue blouse. McCall had offered to give her a few days off, but her weekend with Derek had restored her confidence. She needed to get down to business and actually accomplish something in her new job. She tucked her pajamas into the tote she had brought with her, followed by her bag of make up. Leaving the curling iron on the sink to cool, Sadie swept out of the bathroom, frowning at Derek.

 

Or she tried to frown. It turned into a lustful gaze. He was sprawled across the bed, his arm still stretched out towards her former spot. The gray sheets were tangled down around his calves, allowing Sadie a great view of well, him. She was pretty sure all he owned were black and navy boxer briefs, but that was just fine with her. They were molded around his delicious ass that she longed to grab, and showed off his thighs... Among other things. The white t-shirt he was wearing had rode up, revealing his sculpted lower abdomen. She imagined running her hands up from his hips, over his abs and chest, to grip those rippling arms and shoulders. Lord have mercy.

 

Taking a deep breath Sadie pushed her rather inappropriate thoughts out of her head and slowly approached the bed. She cautiously reached out, ready to shake him awake.

 

"Finished checking me out?" He grumbled, flashing her a cheeky grin, revealing he was awake. Sadie scowled at him and put her hands on her hips.

 

"Get up! I need to get my car so I can go to work!" She whined, feeling like she needed to stomp her foot for emphasis.

 

"But it's raining," Derek groaned, rolling onto his back.

 

"What, do werewolves melt in the rain?" Sadie snickered, then squealed as Derek grabbed her wrist and tugged her back onto the bed with him.

 

"No, but it's a perfect day to spend in bed..." He whispered in her ear, sending tingles down her spine. "With me... Getting my beast mode on."

 

Sadie flushed as she considered it. McCall did say she could stay home... And the bed was so comfy and Derek was so fucking hot. No no no. She needed to be an adult and go to work.

 

"Tempting isn't it?" Derek teased, his eyes roaming her face as she laid on her side facing him.

 

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she grumbled, pushing herself back off the bed and straightening her clothes.

 

"Alright alright, that was awful rude." He grumbled, climbing slowly off the bed. He stripped his shirt off and leisurely strolled around the loft.

 

"No that's fucking rude," Sadie muttered under her breath, eyes following his every move. He grinned at her over his shoulder, knowing full well what he did to her. "Can you just put some clothes on please!" She hissed, staring pointedly at the floor.

 

"You sure you want that Sheldon?" Derek drawled, resting one hand against the wall above Sadie's head. Her eyes traveled up from his feet, over his legs sprinkled with dark hair, to his crotch which may or may not have been erm growing, taking her time on his abdomen and chest, finally meeting those gorgeous green eyes.

 

"I could take it or leave it," she said with a shrug, lying through her teeth. She was surprised when Derek burst into giggles.

 

"You are a terrible liar Sadie!" He exclaimed, shaking his head and finally walking over to his dresser. "Take it or leave it my ass."

 

"Shut it Hale," she hissed, stomping back into the bathroom and grabbing her curling iron. She hastily wrapped the cord around the barrel, purposefully turning her back on Derek. She didn't need to give him anymore ammunition.

 

The door to the loft slid open, and Peter strolled in, a smirk settling over his face when he saw Sadie.

 

"You really are classically beautiful Miss Sheldon," he murmured as he approached, lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing her knuckles. Sadie blushed slightly and muttered,

"Thank you," quietly.

 

"We were just leaving," Derek grumbled, coming up behind Sadie and grabbing her tote in one hand.

 

"I'll wait for you here then," Peter replied calmly. He settled onto Derek's couch and flicked on the tv, flashing Derek a self satisfied smile.

 

\-----------------

 

"Sheldon, I wasn't expecting you today!" Agent McCall greeted Sadie as she entered the squad room. She had hustled through the station, avoiding eye contact with all the deputies, not wanting to discuss her abduction.

 

"Yeah, I just needed to get in here and get to work." She said cheerily, dropping her purse onto her desk.

 

"Wilson and Reed, the two who abducted you, are still in custody," McCall told her. This made Sadie wonder how they were still locked up. Sheriff Stilinski must have werewolf proofed his lock up or something.

 

"We still don't really know why they abducted you," Stabler spoke up, looking almost guilty.

 

"What's the matter with you?" Sadie asked, walking over to sit on his desk. He shook his head, deep brown eyes staring up at her warily.

 

"I'm your partner, I should've been there for you." He finally said, voice almost too quiet.

 

"Darren," she said quietly, glancing at McCall and Cho before leaning closer to her partner."you had no way of knowing I was even missing, you got there as fast as you could."

 

"How did Hale know how to find you then?" He whispered back. Sadie rolled her eyes and sat back up. She was not having this conversation again.

 

"They abducted me because they knew I saw them at the drug raid a couple of weeks ago. They didn't want their boss to know they'd screwed up." She repeated her story from the night of her rescue.

 

"We know, but it really doesn't make sense. Four other people were arrested, what does it matter if you knew that two escaped?" McCall inquired, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Sadie sighed and began to unbutton the bottom of her blouse.

 

"Cho, you worked in the gang unit right?" She asked. He nodded, all three men eying her warily. She stopped unbuttoning at her sternum and took a deep breath. "Well we need to figure out which gang uses this symbol." She pulled her shirt out of her pants, revealing her branded skin. It had healed a bunch, and was now scabbing rather grossly.

 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Stabler asked quietly, reaching up and running his fingers around the circular part of her burn.

 

"It's a solar cross by the way," she directed at Cho, before turning her attention to Stabler. "I didn't realize what had happened until I got home. And then I was just too tired and well ashamed I guess." Sadie hung her head and slowly buttoned her shirt back up. She stood and tucked it into her pants.

 

"We are going to get to the bottom of this Sheldon, don't you worry." Cho said calmly, "I'm gonna call my buddy in the gang unit right now."

 

“Sheldon, I think I’ve got something,” Cho called her over to his desk.

“Already?” Sadies asked. It had been less than an hour since she’d gotten in. But she moved to stand behind his chair anyways, looking between the dual monitors on his desk.

“Yeah, well since you thought it might be related to the bust you and Stabler went on, it wasn't too hard to figure out.” He pointed to the left screen where a picture of someone’s arm with a solar cross tattooed on it was displayed. “Solar cross,” Cho continued, clicking his mouse and pulling up a file. “All members of the Celts have them, including the guys we got in lock up. They’re a relatively new gang to the area, the head honcho’s name is William Stewart, rumored to have immigrated directly from Scotland.”

“Scotland huh?” Sadie repeated, storing that fact in the back of her brain. Her dad was almost 100% Scottish, with her great grandparents both being born there.  

“Yeah, does that mean something to you?” Cho shifted in his chair, glancing up at her. Sadie colored slightly.

“No, not really… I’m Scottish is all… well half… it doesn’t matter.” She giggled nervously as Cho smirked.

“Anyways, we haven’t really been able to pin anything on Stuart or any of his people. Evidence seems to mysteriously disappear, and witnesses always have stories about glowing eyes and monsters that makes them look unreliable to the jury.”

Sadie had to hold in a chuckle. Werewolves seemed to have a way with making sane people crazy. Like Derek, who had managed to turn a rational, routined accountant into a hot-mess, molten pile of not-so-teenaged hormones.

“Right…” she responded to Cho, trying to push Derek out of her thoughts. “What does this mean for my friends locked up downstairs?”

‘Well,” Stabler had re-entered the squad room and settled into his favorite spot, perched on the conference table. “If we can find Stuart, we can work on getting evidence on him to bring the whole gang down. And the dickheads downstairs are going away for hurting you for a long time.”

“Wow, rousing speech Darren,” Sadie smirked at him, earning a glare.

“That’s what I get for being nice to you there Queen Snark?” he grumbled, a smile peeking through when Sadie winked at him. Inside her, a deep resolve was forming. She was going to find this Stewart guy. She was going to figure out what he was after, and she was going to take him down.

 

 


	17. We Are Never Getting Back Together

Derek stood nervously outside of Sadie's apartment. On Monday she had told him that she felt ok to stay at home by herself now, and he had reluctantly let her. Over the weekend they had set up a security system to keep unwanted werewolves out. Deaton had wanted them to line it with mountain ash, but Lydia had warned against it.  Not only would it keep us out, but she worried it would trap Sadie inside. Due to conversations with her grandmother, Lydia was under the impression that her cousin was something more than human. Derek had to agree. Sadie Sheldon was an angel on earth. A smokin' hot angel in fact.

 

He would readily admit to anyone who asked that he was very, no extremely, physically attracted to her. Not that anyone would ask him. No, they just sat there and looked at him funny, raising their eyebrows and basically being little shitheads. But what Derek wasn't so ready to admit was that he was becoming emotionally attached to Sadie. The last two nights had been torture without her. He had laid awake, his bed empty and cold. He missed her presence, the way she laughed, the way she looked after a shower. He missed waking up next to her, even though he always pretended to to still be asleep.

 

And now he was going to 'check on' Sadie, mostly because he couldn't stand the thought of another night without her. In fact, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She made him laugh, and she made him feel like maybe he could actually have a happy life. He did realize that they hadn't even kissed yet. But she scared him! He didn't want to step over any boundaries, didn't want to scare her away. Plus, Sadie seemed like she liked to be in charge anyways, she would want to make the first move... Right?

 

Derek realized he was still standing there, staring at her door, so he raised his fist and knocked. He could hear voices inside, and then Sadie running towards the door. He grinned at her when she peeked through the peephole, loving the sound of her sharp intake of breath and racing heart beat. The door was flung open,

"Derek!" Sadie squealed, leaping into his arms and wrapping herself around him. He could smell the wine on her breath, and over her shoulder he could see a couple and a baby seated at her kitchen table.

 

"I didn't realize you had company, I should've called first," he mumbled, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I can call you later or something if you want."

 

Sadie actually glared at him, her pretty lips sinking into a pout.

 

"Come on, we're just getting ready to eat, please come in."

 

"Are you sure you have enough? I don't want to put you out?" He asked again, setting her gently back onto the floor and brushing one hand through her hair. Her hair! "Your hair," he murmured, taking a moment to really look at her. The strawberry blonde hair that had once hung almost to her ass, now stopped short at her shoulders. It framed her face, making it look more heart shaped now than long. Sadie blushed and tugged on the ends.

 

"Yeah I cut it... Do you like it?" She looked up at Derek through her long black lashes, and it took everything he had not to grab her face and just kiss her senseless.

 

"Yeah, yeah you look uh fantastic." He managed to spit out, his brain and his heart and his body still trying to catch up to each other.

 

"Why'd you say it like that?" Sadie asked, smirking at him and twirling a piece of hair around her finger. Derek bit his lip and glanced at the couple staring at them open mouthed. He leaned down, his lips at her ear.

 

"It's cause you actually look fucking sexy and I'm having all sorts of impure thoughts," he murmured, making sure his lips brushed against her earlobe before he stood back up. Sadie giggled and turned red again, grabbing his wrist.

 

"Come on Derek, I always have enough for you," she grinned as he closed the door behind him. She dragged him over to the table. "This is my best friend Hannah." She motioned towards the curly haired brunette staring at Derek with her mouth wide open. She finally recovered and grinned widely, extending her hand towards him. Derek shook it, pretending he didn't see Hannah mouth 'oh my god' at Sadie. "And this is her husband Andrew." The guy stood up and shook Derek's hand as well.

 

"How ya doin man?" Andrew said cheerfully, before sending a dirty look at Sadie. "I would think you could introduce me as your friend too instead of just Hannah's husband." Sadie rolled her eyes at him and slid her hand from Derek's wrist up to his shoulder.

 

"This is my... My Derek." She said, blushing adorably at the introduction.

 

"Nice to meet you, Sadie's Derek." Hannah said with a shit eating grin, earning a glare from Sadie.

 

"And this is the love of my life, Liam." Sadie gushed, scooping the baby into her arms. "Have a seat Derek." She ordered, pushing him down into one of the kitchen chairs. "Dinner's almost ready."

 

Derek sat reluctantly in the chair,  watching Sadie with Liam. She had him balanced on her hip, bouncing him along as she stirred something on the stove. Liam was gazing up at her lovingly, one of his small hands resting at the base of her throat, the other gripping the sleeve of her shirt. The timer dinged on the oven, and Hannah joined Sadie in the kitchen, pulling a tray of garlic bread out.

 

"I've seen that look before," Derek turned to face Andrew, who had a small smile on his face.

 

"What look?" He asked, even though he had a feeling he knew.

 

"The, 'I suddenly realize I want the woman over there to be the mother of my children' look," Andrew said quietly, causing Derek to grin sheepishly. "I remember the first time I saw Hannah with a baby." Andrew continued, looking lovingly at his wife. "We had been dating for almost a year, and I brought her home one weekend for an extended family get together. She spent the day playing with my nieces... And I just knew..."

 

Derek glanced back at the two women, watching as Sadie tasted what looked like tomato sauce, and then blew on the spoon, holding it out to Liam. He licked it and grinned, begging for more.

 

"Not yet love," she cooed, kissing him on the nose. Derek's heart clenched.

 

"You're right," he muttered to Andrew, running his hand through his hair. "She's the one."

 

Andrew grinned at him.

"Welcome to the club!"

 

 

Sadie would admit that she was slightly tipsy. Things like this always happened when she was with Hannah... That's what best friends are for right? Drinking wine and pigging out. And now Derek was here, and she was having a hard time concentrating on anything except wanting to jump his bones.

 

"Please tell me you are hitting that or so help me god," Hannah whispered, shooting an appreciative look at Derek over her shoulder. He did look good tonight. So good. The gray wife beater he wore was in a word, delicious. Which had of course affected her decision to jump him when she opened the door.

 

Sadie shook her head slightly at Hannah and shushed her, attempting to keep Derek from hearing them.

"Jesus Christ why the hell not?" Hannah asked, fanning her face with her hand. "I'm even thinking about it."

 

"Hannah! Hush!" Sadie admonished, glaring.

 

"Why do you keep shushing me? Does he have supersonic hearing or something?" Hannah asked, this time finally lowering her voice.

 

"Or something," Sadie grumbled, glancing at Derek who was smirking at her.

 

"Are you talking about me princess?" He teased, causing Sadie to once again turn a brilliant red as she shook her head.

 

"See!" She hissed to Hannah, who ignored her.

 

"He calls you princess? Jesus woman you need to step up your game and get it on."

 

"Oh my god," Sadie mumbled, holding Liam up in front of her. "What have you done to your sweet, quiet little mom?" She asked him loudly, before handing him back to Hannah so she could bring the food to the table.

 

"It's my fault actually," Andy admitted sheepishly when Sadie set the bowl of spaghetti on the table in front of him. Sadie raised an eyebrow at him.

 

"Why?" She returned to the stove to grab the tomato sauce and meatballs.

 

"We just decided that we should speak our minds and not hold our feelings in anymore." Hannah answered for him, strapping Liam into the high chair they had brought with them.

 

"And my lovely wife has taken that decision very seriously," Andrew added, flashing Sadie a wide grin.

 

"Fantastic," Sadie grumbled, sliding into the chair beside Derek.

 

"I feel like a new woman now," Hannah said, also grinning at Sadie. She scooped some pasta onto her plate, followed by steaming hot sauce and meatballs.

 

"I can see that," Sadie teased, filling a plate for Derek and then herself.

 

"This looks great," he said quietly, his hand resting briefly on her thigh. Sadie found herself blushing again, and hating it when she saw Hannah and Andy exchanging a knowing glance. "So how do you guys know each other?" Derek asked after a few minutes, wiping sauce from around his mouth. He missed a spot on the corner of his lips, and Sadie stared at it, considering what would happen if she licked it off. Instead she gulped down some more wine as Hannah answered the question.

 

"We went to college together... I met Sadie sophomore year in our first accounting class," she smiled fondly at Sadie, who grinned back.

 

"Andy was in that class too, and I thought he was the most annoying person ever... With his snapbacks and obnoxious comments," she chuckled as Andy glanced up from his plate, indignant, with pasta hanging out if his mouth.

 

"That is so rude! I was not... Ok maybe."

 

"I thought he was cute though, and before you knew it, we were dating!" Hannah kissed Andy on the cheek, before returning her attention to Liam, who was busy smearing spaghetti sauce around his high chair. "And Sadie started dating the asshole, who was Andy's roommate."

 

"You can't blame me for that! We were nineteen!" Andy hissed, and Sadie rolled her eyes.

 

"I don't blame you Andy, can we not talk about him. Please and thank you." Sadie chirped, shoving a piece of meatball into her mouth. She could feel Derek's eyes on her so she glanced up, mouth full. "What?" She grumbled around her food. He grinned and shook his head slightly. She rolled her eyes, trying to hide the fact that his smile made the butterflies go wild in her stomach.

 

"How did you two meet?" Hannah asked, smiling almost wickedly. Sadie narrowed her eyes. She had told her the story. What was she doing.

 

"We literally ran into each other at the sheriffs station," Derek said, a slow smile spreading across his face.

 

"And Derek knocked me down." Sadie grumbled, giving him a smirk.

 

"Yeah but I caught you before you fell," he interjected, placing his large hand back on her thigh under the table.

 

"That's so cute!" Hannah gushed. Sadie shook her head slowly, glaring daggers at her best friend.

 

"You should've seen the way she looked at me... I think she was star struck," Derek goaded her, causing Sadie to glare at him instead.

 

"Oh please, you were the one who stared at me the whole time I walked away!"

 

"And then you walked into a door."

 

"You saw that!"

 

"Of course I saw that!" Derek chuckled as Sadie fumed, trying not to look at Hannah and Andy, already knowing that they were grinning at them.

 

"This is great, I love it when Sadie gets made fun of!" Hannah giggled, feeding Liam a small piece of meatball.

 

"That's rude!" Sadie hissed, shaking her head.

 

"Well you're always making fun of me!" Hannah replied good naturedly, winking at Derek.

 

"Did Sadie tell you how she serenaded me a couple of weeks ago?" Derek asked, smiling slyly at Sadie.

 

"I did not!"

 

"Ohhhh no!" Hannah giggled, "please enlighten us."

 

"Please don't," Sadie whined, covering her eyes.

 

"You know that song, it says something about looking perfect in underwear or something." Derek ignored Sadie and continued as Hannah grinned evilly. "Yeah she sang that to me."

 

"I wasn't singing to you! You snuck in my house when I wasn't paying attention!" Sadie moaned, smacking at his arm.

 

"The only part I remember is you spinning around and singing, 'all I really want is you!' Right in my face," he leaned over and ruffled her hair.

 

"Can you guys just like stop being so adorable, it hurts" Hannah teased, her hazel eyes all big and dewey.

 

"We are not adorable," Sadie grumbled as Derek wrapped his arm around her shoulders, dragging her closer to him.

 

A loud knocking on the door had everyone going silent. Sadie frowned, glancing up a Derek. He shrugged slightly, and she assumed that must mean it wasn't a werewolf on the other side of the door.

“Sadie! Andy! I know you’re in there!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sadie groaned, the sound of her ex’s voice sending a ripple of annoyance through her. She forced her chair back, stomping over to the door and yanking it open. “What are you doing here Ryan?” she hissed. He just grinned at her, all blonde hair and blue eyes with a tight Army t-shirt.

“Hey baby!” He hugged her tightly, even as Sadie stiffened under his touch. “Andy!” And then he was moving deeper into the apartment, completely oblivious to the scene he had walked into. Sadie ground her teeth as she glared after him, not even noticing that Derek had gotten up from the table until he was beside her.

“I can leave if you want,” he said softly, shoving his hands awkwardly into his pockets. Sadie turned her glare on him. “Or not…” Instead of answering him she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the table, where Hannah had picked up the interrogation process.

“So Ricci, why are you here?” she growled, pointing him towards the empty chair beside Andy. Ryan shrugged, leaning his elbows on the table.

“I was driving by and saw both your cars here so I’d thought I’d stop in!”

Hannah and Sadie shared an exasperated look as Ryan looked back and forth between them. “What is the matter with you two anyways?” he grumbled, his eyes suddenly settling on Derek. “And who’s this guy?” He reached his hand out towards Derek, who just raised his eyebrows, not even cracking a smile. Sadie smirked slightly, until she realized that she needed to introduce him. What would she call him? Her boyfriend? Maybe that would make Ryan leave? But he’d know she was lying. Her friend? That sounded dumb, and it might hurt Derek’s feelings.

“That’s Sadie’s Derek,” Hannah supplied, winking a Sadie as Ryan awkwardly withdrew his hand.

“Oh, hey man!” Ryan never skipped a beat, turning his attention back to Andrew. “So A-Dawg! How’s life at the office? They treating you well?” This guy was unbelievable. Sadie angrily twirled spaghetti around her fork, shoving way to much into her mouth. What even is my life right now? Derek’s lips were suddenly at her ear, so she paused in her maddened chomping.

“What exactly did you see in this guy?” The vibrations of his low voice sent chills down her spine, and heat right to her stomach. Swallowing her spaghetti (amazed that she didn’t choke herself), Sadie shrugged and turned towards him.

“He was a good kisser,” she lied, the wine emboldening her to let her gaze linger on Derek’s lips a moment longer than necessary. She thought she might die when he bit his bottom lip, her body unconsciously leaning into him.

“So Dee! Big FBI girl now huh?” Ryan’s loud voice broke through her moment, the sound of her once beloved nickname instantly making her muscles tense. She sighed and turned her attention towards him, Ryan Ricci, the ruiner of life.

 

Two hours later, and Sadie had finally closed the door behind her three best friends from college. She flopped onto the couch beside Derek, closing her eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she grumbled. “That was awful.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Derek chuckled beside her. “Plus I got to meet your man.”

“He’s awful. And clueless.” She opened one eye. “And definitely not my man. Not any more anyway” I want you to be my man… how about that? “Why did you come over here in the first place?”

 

“I um,” Derek sounded nervous, so she opened both eyes, watching him intently. “I just wanted to check on you, make sure everything was okay. You know, I was just alone at the loft and I was wondering how you were doing and I thought I’d stop by and-”

 

“You’re rambling,” she cut him off, sitting up straighter and cocking her head. “And you missed me. That’s why you’re here.” To her delight Derek flushed, as he shook his head, a look of childish denial on his face.

“No! That’s not it.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t miss me? That you don’t care?” she raised her brows, trying not to laugh as his mouth open and closed, at a loss for words. She had him right where she wanted him. “What’s the matter? Cat or should I say wolf got your tongue?”

“No! Fine, I missed you ok? A lot. But that’s not just it! I wanted to make sure you were safe!” Derek was defensive, his green eyes pleading with her to understand.

“And you want to stay the night,” Sadie supplied for him.

“Yes! Exactly!” he replied excitedly, his smile dropping when he realized Sadie had tricked him into admitting it. “Whatever. It’s not like you don’t want me to stay.” he growled, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. Grinning Sadie leaned against him, pulling her legs up onto the couch.

“Stop being a grouch and snuggle with me,” she ordered, sighing when he wrapped an arm around her. “Now let me tell you about William Stewart.” Sadie cuddled into his chest, her arms tucked around his warm body.

“Who the hell is William Stewart?” Derek grumbled, his fingers already brushing through her hair.

“Shhhh, just let me tell you. I’ve got a whole plan,” she said. Then she launched into her explanation, all about Stewart and how he was Scottish and how he owned a nightclub downtown.

 

Derek smiled when Sadie fell asleep in the middle of telling him one of her theories about Stewart.She was driven, almost scarily so, to find this guy and bring him down. But with her asleep against his chest, she looked so innocent and fair, he couldn’t imagine her doing any damage. He scooped her up and carried her to bed, all to eager to fall asleep beside her again. He wanted to fall asleep beside Sadie Sheldon for the rest of his life.

 

 


	18. You Drive The Band And The Boys And The Bartender Crazy

"So I want Isaac and Malia to get into the club with me. I don't think anyone from my team will recognize them. Do they have fake I.D.s?" Sadie was talking to Derek through the closed bathroom door.

 

"Probably, they're teenagers." Derek grumbled, "are you done in there yet?"

 

"Relax Hale," Sadie drawled. Derek shrugged and made his way into her room, flopping onto her bed. He loved her bed. Actually, he just loved being in a bed with Sadie. He had stayed with her only Wednesday night. She had insisted she was fine, and he was a little embarrassed that she had figured him out. And they still hadn't kissed yet. He could tell it was getting to the point where it almost needed to happen. He glanced down at the bed, frowning at the outfit laid out. Denim  shorts and a bright orange, really short looking shirt were on sitting on the bed beside him.

 

"What are these clothes for?" He yelled, not sure if he really liked the idea of Any one besides him seeing Sadie wearing this. He really wanted to see her in it...but for his eyes only.

 

"It's a black light club!" Sadie yelled back. "That's what people wear!"

 

He heard the lock on the bathroom door pop, and heels clicking on the floor. "Can you zip this up for me?" She murmured, appearing in the doorway. But Derek couldn't move. Sadie looked amazing. The white high heels on her feet made her legs look fantastic and golden tan. Her dress was a light gold color, and really quite modest. It fell just above her knees and had long sleeves. The neckline was square cut and showed just a little bit of cleavage. But her body just filled it out perfectly. Her lips were bright red, and those blue eyes seemed to dominate her face. Her now shorter hair was curled perfectly, and Derek longed to run his fingers through it. "Hello? Derek?" He shook his head to clear it and stood up, moving towards Sadie’s now turned back. Her zipper was undone all the way to the small of her back, and Derek wondered if she had left it undone that far on purpose. He ran his thumb up her spine and over her neon pink bra, smiling as she shivered slightly. He quickly zipped her up, then gripped her waist and spun her towards him.

 

"You look absolutely stunning," he whispered, his voice coming out huskier than usual. Sadie smiled shyly at him, her cheeks coloring as usual.

 

"Thanks," she whispered, before moving around him and grabbing a bag from her closet."so I want you to go to the club too, but you need to stay hidden. We can't have my guys or Stewart’s guys recognizing you." She threw the shorts and shirt into the tote, followed by a pair of boat shoes and a pair of wedges. She stomped back to the bathroom and Derek just stared at her ass. Good lord, that girl had a body blessed by the gods.

 

"Any questions?" She was all business still, interrogating him from the doorway.

 

"So where are you going right now?"

 

"To this like fundraiser for the sheriff's department, we are trying to have a more friendly relationship with them. Cho is gonna be here any minute." Sadie seemed anxious, and Derek followed her back out to the kitchen. She transferred her wallet from her regular purse to a little small one that matched her dress. Then grabbed her knife, and to Derek's delight, yanked up her dress and slid it into a holster strapped to her thigh.

 

"Why are you going with Cho? Not Stabler?" Derek choked out, forcing himself to look away as his jeans started to feel a little tight.

 

"Stabler's bringing a date," Sadie giggled, reminding Derek of his sisters when he used to go on dates in high school.

 

"Why didn't you bring me?" He asked, feeling kind of hurt that she didn't even ask. Sadie didn't say anything, so he looked back up at her. She was smiling gently at him, head cocked slightly.

 

"Stabler's date is one of the deputies, and we are leaving early to go on the op, and she's helping us so... I couldn't really bring you without any explanation..." She reached up and patted his cheek gently. "Cho's here, lock the door when you leave, I'll see you at the club." She kissed his cheek, and then she was gone.

 

The sheriff's station was dark with the exception of the FBI squad room, which was currently lit only by a black light. Sadie emerged from the bathroom, dress folded over her arm, but feeling only slightly more comfortable, she was wearing high waisted jean shorts and corset type crop top. Only a strip of her stomach was exposed, but she still hated it. Plus her boobs were too big to really be in the kind of top, or at least by her slightly modest standards. But in order for this op to work, she needed to look slightly slutty. Well mission freaking accomplished. She mussed her curls up and set a crown of fake flowers on her head as she pushed into the squad room.

 

Stabler's date that night, Deputy Marshall, was working on painting everybody up. Stabler was covered in tribal print, bright oranges and yellows curling around his bare upper body. Cho, who was buff as all hell by the way, looked a little grouchy about being covered with zebra stripes. Deputy Johnson, who was also in on the op, was in the process of being covered in just droplets of paint. He knew the DJ working that night, and had managed to get a spot up in the booth.

 

"Damn girl, you lookin hella fine," Stabler whistled as she strolled in, rolling her eyes.

 

"You want anything in particular Sadie love?" Marshall asked, reaching for a clean brush.

 

"Um can you try and cover my scars," she motioned to her stomach, "and um do you think you could put a triskelion, you know the three spirals, right here?" She slapped at her upper back. Marshall nodded and got to work, the cool paint tickling slightly.

 

Sadie's thoughts drifted to Derek again, of course. All through dinner she'd had trouble focusing on the schmoozing and work talk, instead preferring to think about a certain green eyed hunk. The way he had looked at her tonight, made her feel like the most beautiful girl on the face of the earth. Even so, she was starting to get incredibly frustrated. It was obvious that they liked each other, and even more obvious that there was an intense physical attraction there as well. Even so, they hadn't even kissed each other yet. They'd shared a bed for several nights, been through quite a bit together, and they still hadn't actually kissed. And Sadie was mad. She had a feeling he was waiting for her to make the first move, but for once, Sadie wanted him to just take charge.

 

"Alright, you're all set," Marshall's voice pulled Sadie out of her thoughts, and she glanced down at her body. She was covered with blue and green cheetah spots, and it looked pretty damn cool.

 

"Awesome, thanks Maria!" Sadie grinned widely. "You boys ready?"

 

An hour later, Sadie found herself in the middle of a rowdy crowd of drunk, high, young adults. The music was blaring, and Sadie found herself pressed up against Cho, his lips in her ear.

 

"No sign of any of the Celts," he whispered as they moved with the music. Sadie nodded, glancing around the dance floor.

 

"I'm gonna make another round," she told him, before moving off towards the bar. She spotted Isaac and made her way towards him, smirking when he locked eyes with her and grinned. When she got closer he pulled her back against his front, his big hands gripping her hips tightly.

 

"You look really hot," he half yelled over the music.

 

"I'm too old for you," she yelled back, snaking one hand up behind his neck and dancing against him.

 

"Not really... But I just like to piss Derek off," Isaac chuckled and squeezed her left side, alerting her to Derek's presence. He was sulking at a table in the corner, his face painted with only a few stripes. There was a girl leaning across from him, trying her hardest to get his attention, but he was too busy glaring at Sadie and Isaac to notice.

 

"Wow, he looks happy," Sadie laughed, filled with a kind of sick pleasure that she was making him jealous.

 

"What'd you put in your hair?" Isaac asked suddenly, and she felt his fingers run through it.

 

"I got it cut... Why?" Sadie asked, confused. Isaac spun her around to face him.

 

"Well it's like glowing so... And are you wearing contacts? Your eyes look weird. " He raised his brows at her, as if expecting her to have an answer. Sadie shrugged.

 

"Maybe Marshall put some stuff in it... I dunno." Right now she didn't really care about her freaking hair or her eyes. They needed to get this op on the road."anyways, seen any wolves?" She asked in a quieter tone, knowing he could hear her. To her surprise Isaac nodded.

 

"Guy in the white muscle shirt by the dj booth, face painted like the joker," he spun Sadie back around as he spoke, and she spotted him.

 

"Awesome. If you hear the song Fancy come on, it's time to get out. Got it?" She felt Isaac nod behind her, so she immediately left him. She bee lined for the bar, grinning at Stabler who had some how managed to get up on top of it to dance.

 

"Can I get you something Hun?" The bartender, a tired looking blonde dressed as a fairy, asked Sadie gently.

 

"Um just a Bud Light," Sadie responded, just needing something to use as a prop. She watched as the bartender filled a glass from the tap, and slid it to her. "Thanks," she mumbled, eyes settling on the werewolf. He was glancing around, looking for something to do. It looked like he was supposed to be keeping an eye on things, but instead he really wanted to have some fun with a girl.

 

Beer in hand, Sadie stumbled towards him. His eyes lit up when he saw her, immediately focusing in on her boobs. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and dragged him to her,

 

"You're cute," she slurred, "wanna dance?" Of course the kid nodded eagerly, and Sadie set her beer down behind him. He pulled her out onto the dance floor, seeming amazed at his luck. She danced up against him for a while, not wanting to seem too eager. But she figured that he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. The song began to wind down, so she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

He stared into her eyes, and Sadie had to admit that he was attractive. His hair was combed in that new hipster haircut where it's long on the top and short on the side, and he had deep brown eyes that seemed almost black. But he was no Derek. Steeling her will Sadie pressed her lips to his, holding in her gasp as he tightened his grip on her. He kissed her back eagerly, and Sadie gradually moved them to the edge of the dance floor.

 

"Is there somewhere we can you know, go?" She whispered in his ear, praying this would work. The kid nodded and grabbed her hand, pulling her down a hallway behind him. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a key, unlocking what Sadie knew to be William Stewart's office. Once inside she pushed the wolf down onto the desk and crawled on top of him, pulling a small bug out of her back pocket. She kissed him roughly, before dragging him upright and almost forcing him to pin her against the wall. As he kissed her she stuck the bug to the edge of a picture frame, hoping that it would be able to get video of people entering and exiting the office. The kid bit down on her lip, drawing her attention back to the current situation. Sadie hadn't exactly planned how she  was going to get out if this one. Suddenly, and thankfully, the kid froze.

 

"Someone's coming we gotta get out of here." He grabbed her hand and dragged her back out of the office, just as The intro beats to Fancy started booming through the place. Cho was stumbling around the hallway, mumbling to himself about needing to take a piss. Sadie made a mental note to to thank him later. The kid was momentarily distracted, and she saw her opportunity for escape.

 

"Sorry, I gotta go!" Sadie said cheerily, ripping her hand from him and disappearing into the crowd. She could see Isaac and Malia pushing out the back door, and Derek was nowhere to be seen.

 

"Let's go," Stabler appeared behind her, his strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Sadie allowed him to lead her outside and into the SUV they had rode in. Cho and Johnson soon climbed in the backseat, and Stabler spun out of the parking lot, heading back to the station.

 

"So?" Johnson asked finally, leaning between the seats to look at Sadie.

 

"It's planted!" She grinned, causing Stabler to whoop with joy and Cho to fist bump her.

 

"We'll make a pro agent out of you yet!"

 

Half an hour later, Cho had dropped Sadie off at her apartment. She checked her phone, rolling her eyes at the text from Derek requesting that she come to his apartment. She could just tell that he was pissed, and it was one o'clock in the goddamn morning. She threw some clothes into her bag and grabbed her laptop before stomping back out to her car.

 

When she got to Derek's, she let herself in, not surprised to find him sulking is his easy chair.

"Hey," she said breezily, pulling out her laptop and setting it up on the table. Derek didn't respond, and she attempted to ignore his presence... But she couldn't.

 

"What's your problem?" She snapped, storming over to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips. He raised his eyebrows as if to tell her that she should already know. He still didn't say a word, so Sadie sighed loudly and returned to her laptop. "Are you mad that I was dancing with other guys? Is that what this is?" This got a little reaction out of him, she saw his eyes glow blue momentarily. "Talk to me god dammit!" She hissed over her shoulder, anger boiling deep within her. "It's not like you're my boyfriend Derek! We haven't even kissed for god's sake!"

 

"Well you didn't seem to have a problem kissing some random stranger!" Derek yelled, finally sitting forward in his chair.

 

"I was doing my job!" Sadie shouted, waving her hands for emphasis.

 

"Was dancing with Isaac part of your job too?" Derek's voice had turned icy, and Sadie turned and glared at him.

 

"Yes actually." She matched his tone. "And why is it on me to kiss you first huh?"

 

"How am I supposed to know you want to be kissed?" Derek asked, his voice wavering slightly. Sadie glared at him for an entire minute.

 

"Are you serious? How can you... Ugh... You didn't even see my paint did you?"

 

"What?" Derek looked confused for a minute, but Sadie was too pissed off to even take advantage of it.

 

"You know what, I'm going to take a shower and calm down," she hissed, getting ready to grab her bag of clothes.

 

"No, we're talking about this now! You're a take charge kind of girl Sadie, I figured you'd move this forward when you were ready!" Derek insisted, standing up and crossing his arms. She sighed, her back to him.

 

"Did it ever occur to you that I might not like being in charge, that maybe I don't like always being the dominant personality?" She asked quietly, not daring to look at him.

 

"How do you want me to do that?" Derek asked, his voice sounding closer than before.

 

"Be. My. Alpha." Sadie whispered. The apartment was dead silent for a beat. Then she was slammed against the wall, her wrists pinned above her head, face to face with the most beautiful man on the planet.

 

"Like this?" Derek whispered, running his nose down her cheek. Sadie nodded and arched against him, gasping as his free hand slid up her thigh and grabbed her ass. And then his lips were on hers, and everything else disappeared. His lips were warm and eager, and for the first time in her life, Sadie experienced the shooting stars, fire works, earthquake kind of feeling that comes with a first kiss. Derek broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers, breathing heavy.

 

"That was hot," Sadie giggled, finding her wrists free she pushed her hands up beneath his shirt, his muscles feeling exquisite beneath her hands.

 

"Yeah you like that?" He murmured, capturing her lips with his again before she could answer. This time there was a raw need there, pulsing between them like electricity. She felt his tongue trace her bottom lip, and she immediately parted her lips for him, moaning low in her throat. He grabbed her ass and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around him, and then pushed her back up against the wall.

 

Sadie's hormones had taken over, her brain had stopped working except for thinking of Derek. He was kissing down her neck, and she found herself attempting to drag his shirt over his head.  He bit her shoulder gently, and Sadie cried out, arching against him instinctually. He chuckled and pulled back from the wall, holding her up with one arm and tugging his shirt over his head with the other. Sadie moaned loudly and ran her hands over his chest, giggling as he tossed her onto the bed.

 

"You know I'm not really an alpha right?" Derek asked, kneeling between her legs and running his hands slowly up her thighs.

 

"Don't you get it? You're my alpha," Sadie said quietly, sitting up in bed and getting on her knees. Something about the way he said it made her realize that he felt inadequate. Reaching her hands up she cupped his face and stared into his green eyes. She could see the sadness there, it was always there, and she knew she had a lot to learn about Derek. But there was nothing she wanted more. Stretching, she kissed him softly, sighing as his rough hands circled the bare strip of skin at her waist.

 

"Sadie, you should know, I've thought about kissing you since the minute you crashed into me outside of Stilinski's office," Derek whispered, running his hands through her hair. Sadie just grinned and kissed him again. His hands pulled her tightly up against his bare chest, and his lips moved down her jaw. He paused, his tongue sticking out slightly as he frowned.

 

"I'm sorry but you taste weird." He muttered, and Sadie giggled.

 

"That's cause I'm covered in paint you goon!" She crawled off the bed. "I need to take a shower." Derek had jumped out of bed too, and was rummaging around in his bedside table.

 

"Wait, can I see this paint you were talking about before?" He shined a black light on her, the cheetah print lighting up on her legs. Sadie flushed, and attempted to rub on the paint between her shoulder blades. Now that they weren't fighting, she was kind of embarrassed about getting Derek's tattoo painted on her back. Lydia had told her it was his family's symbol, but she didn't even know exactly what it meant.

 

"Why do you have a black light?" She asked, trying to distract him, her arms just a little too short to really smear the paint.

 

"It's Argent's... He uses it to keep stuff hidden from the naked eye." He paused and stalked closer to her. "Why are you blushing and rubbing at your back like that? And why is cheetah print supposed to mean anything to me?" His voice was low, and his green eyes were sparkling as if he knew she was internally freaking out.

 

"Um, you know what? It doesn't matter anymore, I'm just gonna go..." She was walking backwards, and grinning nervously at him as he followed her. She thought she was going to get away with it, but she should've known better. He moved so quickly, that she didn't even see him coming. She was pressed against the wall, his hips tight against her ass, holding her in place. She leaned her forehead against the cool brick, wishing she wasn't turned on by every single fucking thing this guy did. It wasn't right. One of Derek's hands scooped her hair off the nape of her neck, and she let out a sigh. He chuckled, and then released her hair, his fingers moving to trace the triskelion between her shoulder blades.

 

He stepped back from her, allowing Sadie to step away from the wall. She did so cautiously, worried that maybe she angered him, using her family's symbol like that. But it couldn't mean anything too bad, she knew her Celtic symbols. The triskelion usually represented the holy trinity: the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, or family: father, mother, child. She kept her eyes down, mostly just wanting to disappear. Derek's hand cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, and then frowned.

 

"Did you put something in your hair?" He asked, shining the black light on the locks that fell in front of her shoulder. Sadie glanced down. Her now shortened locks were glowing a bright purple.

 

"I dunno," she shrugged, "Marshall could've sprayed something on me when she was painting me up." Derek rubbed his fingers through her hair, and then shined the light on his hand.

 

"No, I don't think so." He held up his palm. "It's not paint." He was looking at Sadie curiously. He shone the light across her face, his eyes widening marginally.

 

"What?" Sadie asked, not missing a thing.

 

"Your eyes..." He said slowly, shining the light on her face again. "They glow in the light too." Sadie just sighed and shrugged again. She didn't know what this meant, and to be honest, she didn't particularly care at the moment. All she wanted was to shower, and go to bed. Preferably with a half naked Derek Hale. As if sensing her sudden exhaustion, he smiled gently at her. "Go on, take a shower. We'll figure this out later." He kissed her forehead gently. Sadie nodded and turned from him, heading towards the bathroom. "Sadie," Derek said quietly, causing her to pause and glance over her shoulder at him.

 

"Yeah?" He pointed at her back,

 

"That means you're mine," his voice was a low growl, and it sent chills of desire through her body. The look in his eyes made her flush, and she scurried away, not used to the intensity. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating spree!


	19. Witchy Woman

Sadie had insisted on going by herself to pick up a change of clothes from her apartment. She had made her eyes all big and pouted her lips, and worn Derek down with her overall cuteness. She had said she would be fine, that she just needed her daily dose of quiet time with her car. But Derek was not happy. This was a bad idea, and even little miss priss knew it. Even though he'd let her stay alone a couple of nights last week, something had changed. He could feel it, like a trickle of cold water down his back. Stewart wasn't done with them, and Sadie was now even more of a threat than before. Plus with all the recent developments, she and Derek were even more deeply connected, putting a target on her head in order to get under his skin. Derek paced around the loft, glancing at his watch for the second time in thirty seconds. He should've gone with her.

"Dammit," he hissed, this time pulling out his phone, just to check if she'd called. Of course she hadn't. But she'd been gone for almost half an hour. Too long in Derek's book.

 

He considered calling her, just to check up on her. But the voice inside his head was not impressed, describing him with words such as clingy and overbearing. Which Derek realized was an accurate description at the moment. He groaned and tossed his phone onto the table, pushing a frustrated hand through his hair. What had this girl done to him? With her glowing hair and eyes, that infectious giggle, soft skin, demanding lips, he realized he'd reached a level of perhaps obsession. He didn't even care what made her hair glow in blacklight, and her eyes sparkle with purple when she was angry or upset. He knew he should be researching, maybe even be worried, or at least be wary. Sadie was certainly something other than human. Over the last twenty four hours he had thought about looking into it, considered bringing Deaton in. But then Sadie would kiss him, or giggle, or just stretch on the couch and he was completely and utterly distracted. She mesmerized him, teased him, made him forget about all the problems of the world, eased the troubled that haunted his past. Derek Hale was falling in love.

 

Sadie had needed some time to herself. It wasn't that she wanted to be away from Derek. Because she didn't. But she was an independent woman, and she needed to continue to prove to herself that she could function without a man. Even though thinking about Derek made her insides warm and her eyes fucking glow purple. What the hell was up with that? She needed to have a chat with her grandmother about this. Something was changing, she could feel it in her bones.

 

Sadie tossed her duffle bag into the back seat, and slid behind the wheel. Her body was urging her to get back to Derek, to run to him and get wrapped up in him. It was like her emotions had been cranked up, everything she felt was an extreme. Her lust in particular seemed to be ruling her, overriding her usual rational thoughts. It was making her crazy.

 

A summer rain had started to fall as she drove back to Derek's, and she tried to use the time to think everything over. She wondered what she was. Lydia had never mentioned anything about purple eyes or glowing hair. Lukey had said he was a nymph. Maybe she was too.

 

She parked beside Derek's car, and shut the Subie down. A chill ran down her spine, and she froze. Something wasn't right. Sadie slowly reached into the back seat, wrapping her hand firmly around the pistol Chris had given her. She glanced in her rear view mirror, frowning when she spotted a blacked out Cadillac idling just across the street. She forced herself to breathe and act normal. Derek was probably tuned into her heart beat by now, and she didn't need him getting involved. She grabbed the handles of her duffle in the same hand as her pistol, and pushed herself out of the car.

 

Purposefully dropping her keys, she crouched, giving herself the chance to pull the knife out of its holster on her ankle. The rain continued to pour down as she headed for the staircase. Sadie felt as if her senses had suddenly been cranked as high as they could go. The sound of each rain drop on the pavement was distinguishable, along with the sound of footsteps creeping behind her. She acted on instinct, without thought. She tossed her duffle up the stairs and spun around, firing her pistol. The flare went off, illuminating the stairwell. Two werewolves, both burly red heads, cringed back from the light, momentarily blinded. Sadie knew she had to act fast; Derek undoubtedly heard the commotion. She leapt down the stairs and landed a kick square in the chest of one of the attackers. He hit the ground hard and Sadie swooped in, nicking the back of his neck with her venom laced knife. The wolf growled and reached up to claw at her. His enraged face became filled with confusion when his arm refused to move. Sadie found herself smirking proudly at him, an odd sense of accomplishment overcoming her.

 

The low growling behind her should have served as a warning, but it was too late. Within seconds she was pinned against the brick wall, an angry wolf's claws wrapped around her throat. She struggling in his grip, glaring into his glowing yellow eyes, and praying her own hadn't turned purple.

"Stewart wants her alive Mark." The paralyzed wolf hissed. Mark grinned down at Sadie, his grip on her loosening minutely.

"Don't see what's so special 'bout ya girlie," he grumbled, his voice lilting in a slight Scottish brogue. Sadie just smiled and tightened her grip on her knife. "Whatcha do to me partner over there?" Mark drawled, "yer lucky I don't like 'im all that much..." Sadie rolled her eyes, mentally preparing to stab him in the back of the neck.

 

A roar echoed from the top of the stairs, causing Mark to whip his head around. Derek. He would be down here in seconds. Sadie used the distraction and yanked her arm up, slicing a shallow wound on mark's neck. His large hand slowly fell from her throat, and he dropped with a thud to the ground.

"What the fuck," Mark hissed from the ground, eyes wide as he glared up at her.

 

"Just shut up!" The other one hissed.

 

"What are you thinking? Why didn't you yell for me?" Derek had jumped down the stairs, and was now following Sadie as she stalked over to her first target. She knew it wouldn't be long before the paralytic effect wore off.

 

"I had it under control." She answered Derek, leaning over and rolling the downed wolf onto his side.

"Under control?" Derek's voice had reached another octave, and Sadie could almost feel the annoyance rolling off him.

 

"Yup!" She popped the p as she handcuffed the wolf's hands behind his back. She pulled out her second set of cuffs and stomped over to Mark, winking at him before rolling him rather roughly onto his face. She knew the standard issue cuffs wouldn't hold them, and she had yet to get her hands on a special pair like Stilinski had.

 

She pulled out her phone and dialed up the sheriff, eyeing Derek while the phone rang. His hair was damp now from the rain, and Sadie could smell his cologne floating on the air. He was glowering at her, obviously not happy with this stunt. But god did he look hot. So hot. She had half a mind to hang up the phone and just climb him like a tree right there. She didn't know why she was suddenly so horny, but she blamed it on adrenaline and tried to shake it off. Control was necessary. The last thing she needed was to have all three wolves knowing she was aroused.

 

"Agent Sheldon?" The sheriff finally answered his phone, providing Sadie the distraction she needed.

"Hey Sheriff, I've got a couple of Stewart's guys here... Wanna come give a lift to the station?" She asked, surprising herself the with the sudden calm control that settled over her. Something was happening to her.

 

"Where are you? Do you need cuffs? Do you need Scott?" She could hear the sheriff shuffling around, presumably getting ready to leave his office.

 

"I'm at Derek's. We'll need your cuffs. And nah, I think maybe even Stabler can have a crack at them, at the station. I think they're just following orders."

 

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes." The phone clicked and the Sheriff was gone.

 

Half an hour later Sadie was cautiously making her way up into Derek's loft. She knew he was still angry, she could smell it on the air. How the hell can I smell and emotion? What the hell is going on? The sound of the shower running was louder than normal in her ears, the scent of Derek's body wash filling the loft. With a sigh Sadie stripped, dressing herself in only a tank top and panties before crawling into bed. She tried to go over what was happening to her, tried to connect the dots and solve the mystery. But she was distracted, antsy.

 

The bathroom door opened, and Derek emerged, wearing just a pair of black boxer briefs.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He growled, glaring at her from the edge of the bed. Sadie sighed and stretched, in no mood to argue.

"It was under control," she murmured, reaching for him. "Come here." Derek stepped back from her, but she knew he could sense it. There was no way he couldn't tell that she was turned on.

"No. I could've helped you." He enunciated his words carefully, his body tense. Sadie pushed herself up onto her knees, crawling to the edge of the bed.

"I said, come here," she repeated, placing a hand flat on his chest. Her touch was all it took, the electricity that ran between them pushing Derek into action. He pushed her down onto the bed, his lips rough on hers. Sadie moaned and turned her head towards the window, urging him to kiss down her throat. And then she saw it. Her reflection stared back at her from the window, her eyes a luminescent purple. What was happening to her?

 

 


	20. Take The Pieces When You Go

"Sadie, I can't do this to you." Derek said quietly, hanging his head. Sadie looked up at him from the passenger seat with a confused expression. His heart began to break, but he knew he needed to do it. Every girl he had ever been with was either dead or turned into a psychotic. Or both. He couldn't do that to Sadie, she deserved better. She deserved the best.

 

"What are you saying Derek?" He could tell by her voice that she had already figured it out.

 

"I'm no good for you." He parked his car in front of her apartment building.

 

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Sadie twisted in her seat and was glaring at him, and he swore her blue eyes flashed a luminescent purple.   "How can you say that! We've barely even been doing this thing a week!"

 

"I know Sadie! And we've already been attacked! Danger follows me!" Derek slammed his hands against the steering wheel. "This is the only way I can think to protect you!"

 

"Fine." Sadie huffed and grabbed her purse from the floor. "Fine. See you around Derek." She hopped out of the car and slammed the door a tad bit harder than necessary.

 

"I can't believe him!" Sadie screeched into the phone, not caring if she was being too loud.

 

"What now?" Lydia drawled on the other end, sounding unamused.

 

"He broke up with me!" As soon as she said it, she felt her heart breaking. Even though she knew he was trying to protect her, it really hurt. She didn't need him to protect her, she needed him to be her friend, her companion, her lover.

 

"What!" Lydia was mad now, Sadie could just tell.

 

"I know! I’m just so…” her voice cracked, and the tears she’d been holding in started to drip down her cheeks. “I really liked him Lyd.” She whispered, curling onto her side on her messy bed.

“I know you did sweetie,” Lydia’s voice was softer than usual on the other end of the line. “You just stay right there. I’ll be with you in 10.”

“Thanks,” Sadie sniffled, hanging up the phone and pulling her knees towards her chest. She didn’t know if she wanted to be sad or angry, but the truth was, her emotions were entirely out of control. “Get it together.” She whispered into the darkness of her bedroom. She needed to be strong.

\-----------

It had only been twenty four hours since Derek had basically dumped her, and Sadie was ready to crawl out of her skin. She was in her car, flying across town to his apartment, ready to give him a piece of her mind. And possibly kick his ass in the process. She was pretty sure she could take him down. The engine of her Subaru had barely shuddered to a halt and she was already out, bounding, no storming up the stairs to his loft.

 

She grabbed the handle, ready to throw it open. The sound of soft voices inside caused her to pause. She could hear the deep rumble of Derek, accompanied by a female voice. Jealousy mixed with curiosity began to boil inside of her. She considered continuing with her plan to go in kicking and screaming, but her inner bitch mode was taking over. Taking a deep breath she knocked firmly on the wood, fixing a calm look on her face.

 

The door slowly slid open, Derek obviously knowing it was her by her scent, perhaps her heart beat. Which she was controlling magnificently by the way. Thank you FBI training.

"Sadie," he said cautiously, those eyes flickering over her. Steeling her spine, Sadie pretended that seeing him didn't hurt her, didn't feel like a knee to the gut.

 

"Derek. I just wanted to pick up some of my things." She kept her voice clipped, professional, as she pushed past him into the loft. Her stomach clenched, and she knew her eyes had probably flickered purple at the sight before her. There was a beautiful girl curled up on Derek's couch. She had wavy dark hair, big brown eyes, and smooth, dark skin, marred only by horrific scars across her throat. She would've passed easily as Stabler's sister, but Sadie knew who she was. She was a mercenary, contract killer, wanted by the FBI. She went only by Braeden, but Sadie knew that she specialized in the gray areas, the supernatural. Sadie was also aware of the rumored chemistry between her and Derek. Hey, having a teenage cousin had its perks.

 

Working to keep her expression neutral, and her heart rate steady, she nodded politely towards Braeden, striding towards Derek's bathroom. Closing the door gently behind her, she gathered her tooth brush, curling wand, and t-shirt lying on the floor.

"Who's the princess?" She heard Braeden say, her voice that low, sexy tone that Sadie could never accomplish.

 

"She's my, she's um, my friend." Derek grumbled in his usual slightly awkward fashion. Sadie's stomach knotted over, feeling betrayed. He couldn't even label her his ex-girlfriend. Not that they'd actually made themselves official, but still. Until yesterday, Sadie had thought they were forever. Actually, she had planned on convincing him of just that when she had sped over here. But now... Now she was unsure. Reaching into the back pocket of her jean shorts, Sadie's fingers found a bug, left over from the club op.

 

She may have lost Derek, but she was still an FBI agent. Even though the kids seemed to like Braeden, Sadie didn't trust her a bit. That girl was trouble, and it was only a matter of time before someone offered her enough money to make her turn on Scott and his pack. If she was going to make a habit of hanging out with Derek, then Sadie was going to take advantage of it. Steeling herself once again, she calmly pulled the door open and stepped out. Derek was leaning on the table, his eyes trained on her. She could see the questions forming behind his eyes, it was pretty obvious that he saw through her facade.

 

Refusing to meet his gaze, Sadie walked right by him, pausing only by the door. She glanced over her shoulder at him and Braeden, allowing the tears that she had been holding in to prick her eyes.

"Bye Derek," she whispered, her voice cracking. With her left hand she stuck the bug to the door jam. Without giving him a chance to respond, she slid the door closed behind her. She knew he would follow, so Sadie broke into a run, leaping down the stairs three at a time.

 

"Sadie!" Derek was yelling after her, but she ignored him and yanked open her car door. Dumping her stuff into the passenger seat, Sadie slid behind the wheel, engine roaring to life. Tires squealed she backed out of the parking spot, he was in her rear view mirror, all sexy green eyes and muscular arms, and warm hugs and her favorite person to be with. But Sadie kept on, spinning tire as she took off in second gear. If this was what he wanted, she would give it to him.

\-------

"Okay gram, let's get to the real reason we are here." Sadie grumbled, sending her grandmother a pointed look across the kitchen table. Lydia, who was sitting to her right, nodded in agreement, her hands folded patiently in front of her.

 

"Okay, okay." Mary Beth shifted uncomfortably in her chair, brushing a few strands of faded red hair out of her face. "As you both know, our family has magic running through our veins. The truth is, my family, the MacBeth's, are descendants of the Celtic goddess Artio."

 

"What do you mean? How does that even happen?" Sadie interrupted, leaning forward in her chair. She was anxious to find out what she was, why her eyes turned purple and her hair glowed. Why her emotions were all of a sudden amped up, and why she could now focus on her senses and do things she never could before.

 

"You really never heard of gods and goddesses getting busy with humans? Demigods? Come on Sadie, I thought you were smart." Lydia snapped, tossing her hair in that way she had. Sadie was beginning to regret bringing her along. Her younger cousin was making her crazy. She opened her mouth to retort, but Mary Beth cut her off.

 

"Girls. Girls. Please just let me tell you." Her grandmother's voice instantly calmed Sadie, it's effect seemingly magnified more than usual. "Legend says that Artio fell in love with Angus MacBeth many many years ago. Angus lived in the Scottish wilderness, and Artio, the goddess of wildlife, stumbled on him one day when she was wandering the forest. Artio didn't usually reveal herself to humans, but there was something about Angus that drew her in.

 

Artio became impregnated soon after, and she gave birth to a baby boy whom she left with Angus. The goddess never returned to her child or her love, but she passed some of her powers onto her son. He was gifted with animals, almost as if he could speak to them. Plants flourished under his care. Artio's son passed his abilities on to his children. When his daughter, Mary, reached sixteen years, Artio began to take special interest in her granddaughter. Her mother had drowned horrifically, and Mary had taken over caring for the family with ease. Artio decided to bless her granddaughter with all of the powers of a wildlife goddess. Mary's eyes would glow purple when she was upset or angry, distinguishing her from humans. She was able to communicate with animals, and could heal people who had been poisoned by plants and berries. Mary's emotions were strong, and they charged the atmosphere around her. " Mary Beth paused and took a sip of tea, smiling gently at her granddaughters.

 

"Mary was like me," Sadie whispered, her eyes were wide, and she had a distinct feeling that they were shining bright purple. Her grandmother nodded.

 

"More like you than you know. Every couple of generations Artio chooses a new prodigy. Now that her genes are so diluted, it is not often that a baby girl is born possessing the correct combination. She watches the girl grow up, and bestows her powers upon her if she deems her worthy. All the chosen girls have been smart, headstrong, independent. With the goddess' power, the girls' beauty tends to intensify."

 

"You have been looking smokin hot lately," Lydia teased as Sadie rolled her eyes.

 

"Is there anything else?" She asked her grandmother, trying to be a mature adult.

 

"There may be more Sadie love, but your father is the one who knows it." Mary Beth gave her a stern look. "You need to visit your parents sweetie."

 

 

"What am I gonna do Gram? Just be like hey Dad! I guess I'm a goddess now, wanna talk about it?" Sadie snapped, waving her hands around in the air for emphasis. Her grandmother actually smirked at Lydia, only irritating Sadie more.

 

"Can you feel that Lyd? She's radiating annoyance," Mary Beth said softly, looking almost awed with her granddaughter. Lydia was nodding, a similar expression on her face as she watched Sadie. "And yes Sadie, that's exactly what you need to say. But I'm betting he'll already know."

 

 


	21. Got a Real Good Feeling Something Bad About To Happen

"Corey, it's Sadie." Sadie was in her bedroom, checking herself out in the mirror.

 

"Hey Sade, what's up?" Deputy Johnson's voice came through the phone, as usual bringing a smile to her face. She tugged at the hem of her dress, which happened to just barely cover her ass.

 

"Whatcha up to?" She asked, fluffing her hair.

 

"Nothing... Sadie are you ok? You sound kind of... Dangerous?" Johnson spoke carefully, as if choosing his words carefully.

 

"Me and Stabler are going out tonight... Wanna come?" Sadie ignored his question, she was indeed dangerous. Derek hadn't realized who or what he'd had. She was a Celtic goddess, and historically, heart broken goddesses are bad news. Sadie had always been modest, self conscious of her body and appearance. Now, with her emotions stripped of caring, she had made herself into a man's dream.

 

"Hell yeah! I'm in!" Johnson cheered, and Sadie grinned.

 

"See you at the Cornerstone in an hour." Sadie hung up and tossed her phone on the bed. Grabbing a handful of bobby pins she began to pin her hair up, allowing a few tendrils to curl around her face. She painted her lids and lips, contoured her cheeks and lengthened her lashes. The black dress she was wearing cut low across her chest, and left almost nothing to the imagination. Stepping into a pair of bright red platform pumps, Sadie was in full goddess mode. She was ready to paint the town,

 

 

"Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clapping, got a real good feeling something bad about to happen." Sadie and Meg, the EMT who had helped her after she was kidnapped, were standing on the stage at the cornerstone, microphones in hand. It turned out that Meg was kind of dating Johnson, so she had tagged along on their night out. They were both three beers in, and feeling a little bit crazy. It had only taking a little bit of instigation from Stabler to get them up and signing up for karaoke. And now...

 

"Pulled up to the church but I got so nervous

Had to back it on up, couldn't make it to the service

Grabbed all the cash underneath my mattress

Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen," she pointed to Meg, stomping her heeled foot as her new friend started to sing.

 

"Ran into a girl in a pretty white dress

Rolled down the window, where you heading to next?

Said I'm heading to the bar with my money out the mattress

Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen." Meg had a voice almost as beautiful as Carrie Underwood, but Sadie was keeping up pretty well. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, or maybe her newfound goddess powers, but her voice sounded better than ever. They launched into the chorus together, earning catcalls and cheers from the crowd.

 

By the time they had finished singing, Sadie was riding on one hell of a high. She would've liked to say that Derek wasn't even on her mind, but that was far from true.

"Did you get the video?" She panted, falling into her seat beside Darren.

 

"You know it baby girl, you're so bad ass tonight!" He grinned, handing her her phone.

 

"Yo, I'm a bad ass mother fucker!" Sadie giggled, guzzling down some Bud Light and waggling her eyebrows at Megan, who had settled down onto Corey's lap. A bro had got up on stage and was in the middle of a horrible rendition of Call Me Maybe, and his buddies were all loudly dying of laughter at the table beside them. Sadie sent the video of her singing to Lydia, in order to brag about herself. And maybe just in case Lydia was near Derek, and he would hear her having a good time.

 

**Lydia: Wow you guys are actually really good**

**Sadie: I know, right :p**

**Lydia: and you look hot as hell, way to go!**

 

Grinning to herself Sadie set her phone back down on the table. The appreciative looks she had been getting all night had certainly helped her feel better about herself. And quite uncharacteristically she found herself enjoying the attention.

 

"I'm gonna sing another one!" She announced, pushing herself up,and making her way back to the front of the room. When the bro finished his awful version of Call Me Maybe, Sadie was up again. It was time to get her angst out.

 

"Gonna drive like hell through your neighborhood

Park this silverado on your front lawn,

Crank up a little Hank,

Sit on the hood and drank

I'm about to get my pissed off on,"

Sadie stood still in the middle of the stage, making her voice husky. People were swaying on the dance floor, arms wrapped around each other, singing loudly along with her. She immediately yearned for Derek, but she plowed on,

"I'm gonna aim my head lights into your bedroom windows,

Throw empty beer cans at both of your shadows.

I didn't come here to start a fight,

But I'm up for anything tonight.

You know you broke the wrong heart baby,

And drove me redneck crazy."

She grabbed the microphone cord and wrapped it around her hand, slowly walking towards the front of the stage. She could see Stabler recording her again, and she felt like she could walk on water.

"Wish I knew how long it's been going on  
How long you've been getting some on the side  
Nah, he can't amount to much by the look of that little truck  
Well, he won't be getting any sleep tonight  
  
I'm gonna aim my headlights into your bedroom windows  
Throw empty beer cans at both of your shadows  
I didn't come here to start a fight, but I'm up for anything tonight  
You know you broke the wrong heart, baby,  
And drove me redneck crazy  
Redneck crazy  
  
Did you think I'd wish you both the best,  
Endless love and happiness?  
You know that's just not the kind of man I am  
Yeah, I'm the kind that shows up at your house at 3 A.M.  
  
I'm gonna aim my headlights into your bedroom windows  
Throw empty beer cans at both of your shadows  
I didn't come here to start a fight,  
But I'm up for anything tonight  
You've gone and broke the wrong heart, baby,  
And drove me redneck crazy  
You drove me redneck crazy, oh, yeah."

 

The crowd broke into applause and cheers as she trailed off, a light blush settling over her cheeks. Stabler was standing now, and at first, Sadie thought he was giving her a standing ovation. But then she noticed the concerned expression on his face, and her heart rate immediately quickened. She pushed her way through the crowd, mind already racing with possible case related problems that could've happened on a Friday night.

 

"What's the matter?" She yelled over the house music the dj had out on. He shook his head slightly, frowning at his phone.

 

"Cho says we need to come down to the station, well you specifically." Now she was really worried. She just had this feeling that something had happened in Derek's apartment. She had asked Cho to monitor the feed from the bug she'd planted. She knew better than to watch it herself, she'd just end up pissed off. Stabler, McCall and Cho had all been pretty excited about the opportunity to bring down a wanted hit woman.

 

"What's going on?" Twenty minutes later Stabler and Sadie were at the station, still in their going out clothes. "Did you get something on Braeden?" Sadie was leaning over Cho's shoulder, just dying to cuff up the bitch.

 

"No actually, I think something else happened to your err to Derek." Cho said quietly, pulling a video up on his computer screen. Sadie watched with bated breath, now worried that Derek had transformed on camera. She hadn't really thought this whole thing through. If Cho had seen him turn into a werewolf, that would be disastrous. But Derek didn't even have a chance. A group of men burst into the loft, and one of them blasted him with a taser before he could make a move. Two others grabbed his arms and dragged him out of the loft. It all happened in under two minutes. "See this guys wrist?" Cho had paused the video and zoomed in on one of the assailants. "He's got a tat that is the same symbol as what was burned on you... The solar cross, right."

 

It was all making sense to Sadie now. The betas that had kidnapped her had been wrong. Stewart didn't have a vendetta against Scott McCall. He was after Sadie. Or perhaps her family. It would make sense. Her grandmother was part of an ancient Scottish family with magical powers. No doubt there was some connection between them and a Scottish werewolf. If he was even a werewolf. They had probably been trying to get to Lydia when they kidnapped Sadie the first time, not realizing that she had the magic too. Now they had figured out how to get to Sadie.

 

"Check the feed from the club," she ordered, surprisingly calm. She needed to call Chris for back up. She needed to talk to the sheriff. Cho pulled up the feed from Stewart's office, confirming Sadie's suspicions. They were just in time to watch the last of Stewarts guys disappear into a doorway usually hidden by a bookcase. "I'm going to get him." Sadie announced, standing up and striding towards the door.

 

"Whoa whoa whoa, I thought you hated this guys guts!" Stabler asked, blocking the door. Sadie sighed and crossed her arms.

"You really don't understand women do you?" She snapped, earning a chuckle from Cho. "I need to speak to the sheriff. And then I'm going to get Derek."

"Aren't you gonna change?"

"Absolutely not. I can kick ass in any outfit." She pushed past him, heels clicking loudly on the tile floor. Striding through the empty station, she tried to work out how she could possibly save Derek without revealing the whole supernatural world to her partners. She was relieved to see the light on in Stilinski's office. She entered without knocking, closing the door quickly behind her. "Derek's been taken." She murmured, sinking into one of the chairs in front of the sheriff's desk.

"How do you know?" The sheriff was looking at her curiously, a pair of glasses pushed low on the bridge of his nose.

 

"I had bugged his place with a video feed, I think he's dating a wanted murderer." She grumbled  feeling a little silly in her short dress and high heels.

 

"I thought you were dating him?"

 

Sadie flushed and shook her head, pulling bobby pins out of her hair to keep her hands busy.

 

"No. He broke it off."

 

"So you bugged his place?" The sheriff chuckled slightly, obviously finding this situation amusing.

 

"Yeah, I know. I'm psycho. But Cho's been monitoring it, and Stewart’s men just grabbed Derek about an hour ago, and then took him to the club. I think we've had this all wrong. I think Stewart is after me, or my family. I don't think the betas who abducted me really understood the whole situation. I need to talk to my gram, but this is all starting to make sense. But I need to get Derek. And we need to figure out how to do it before the rest of the FBI gets there and turn it into a disaster." The sheriff was nodding along as Sadie spoke, she could almost  see his wheels turning.

 

"I'm calling Argent right now," he said, reaching for his phone and putting it on speaker. They relayed the story to Chris, and then came up with a plan. Sadie would tell Stabler and Cho to meet her at the club in an hour, saying that she had decided to go home and change, and get all of her gear together. Instead she would head directly to the club, meeting the sheriff and Argent there. Argent was going to call Scott, and have him, Isaac, Malia, and Kira meet them there as well. All three agreed that they should try and keep Lydia and Stiles out of it. But Sadie was pretty sure that both men knew that was never going to happen. Then they would storm the keep, hopefully rescuing Derek and getting everyone humanized before the FBI team showed up. She knew Stabler would be mad at her, but she couldn't risk him getting hurt. Playing it as if she was just trying to keep her problems private or something should work. And then came the question she'd been waiting for.

 

"So why are they after you Sadie?" Chris asked. Only Lydia and their gram knew about Sadie's self discovery. She cleared her throat nervously.

 

"Let's just say that Lydia isn't the only person in my family with supernatural powers." The sheriff simply nodded, maybe he could tell she wasn't ready to share.

 

"All right kid," Chris said through the phone. "Let's kick some werewolf ass."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karaoke Songs:  
> Something Bad - Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood  
> Redneck Crazy - Tyler Farr
> 
> Also, I personally like the character of Braeden... And eventually Sadie comes around a little bit too haha


	22. Darling I'm A Nightmare Dressed Like A Daydream

"Okay guys, here's my plan." Sadie had gone back into the squad room, and was addressing Stabler and Cho. "I need to go back to my apartment and get my gear together, and then we can meet at the club in an hour."

 "Do you want me to just ride with you?" Stabler asked, and Sadie worried that he could see through her white lie. She shook her head in response.

 "Nah, it's ok." She pointed at Cho. "Can you look back at the recordings and see if you can figure out how they got the door to that secret room open?"

 "I'm already on it," Cho answered, not looking up from his computer. "I'll text you as soon as I figure it out."

 "Can't we just tell her when we get there?" Stabler was definitely suspicious of Sadie.

 "Yeah. But I'm still gonna text her." Cho looked up long enough to roll his eyes at Stabler. Sadie shot him an appreciative smile, before turning back towards the door.

 "See you in a bit!" She rushed out to her car, taking off for the club. She had only been on the road for about five minutes when her phone started to ring. It was a number she didn't have saved, but she answered it anyways.

 "Hullo?"

 "Sadie, this is Scott."

"Oh hey... You going to the club?" She asked, frowning since his voice sounded slightly strained.

"Yeah I'm running there." He replied.

"What?"

 "Look out your window." Scott chuckled, and Sadie whipped her head around, gasping at the glowing red eyes outside her window. Slamming on the brakes she stopped the car, shaking her head as Scott climbed in.

"Why the hell are you running down the road like that?" She hissed, kicking up sand as she took off.

 "Isaac has my bike," he shrugged, grinning happily at her. "So you bugged Derek's apartment?"

 Sadie just glared at him, pressing her foot harder on the gas pedal.

\--------

 "Okay guys, listen up." Sadie stood at the trunk of her car, strapping on her bullet proof vest. Her grandmother hadn't mentioned anything about being able to heal herself, so she wasn't taking any chances. Malia, Isaac, Scott, Kira, Stiles, Lydia, Chris and the sheriff stood in a semicircle around her. She was kind of surprised that they had diverted all the authority to her. _She's radiating annoyance. &_ Her grandmother's words came to mind, and she realized that they could probably feel her need to be in charge. "It's almost one, so we have about an hour before the club starts to shut down. Stiles and Lydia, I want you to go in through the front entrance. They shouldn't give you any trouble, the bouncers are suckers for pretty girls." She smirked as Lydia huffed and rolled her eyes, clearly not pleased with being objectified. "I need you two to keep an eye inside the club, let us know if anything gets hinky." She handed both Stiles and Lydia earpieces that she had. Being in the FBI had its perks. "I'll be wearing one of these too, so just talk to me." She slipped one on her ear, and turned to the rest of the group. "The rest of us are going in the back door. It leads into the hallway that Stewart's office is on. Kira and Malia, I know this is cliche, but you are going to be the distraction. Pretend to be drunk, like you're lost. I'll sneak up behind him and get him with some kanima venom. He'll need to be gagged as well. Isaac, you can take care of that." She handed him a roll of duct tape. "We are going to have to move fast. I am not sure how many wolves are in this pack, but we know that there are at least five in the secret room with Derek. Scott, me and you are going to head right to Stewart's office. We'll jack a key off the guard Kira and Malia distract, and then I know how to open the secret room. I don't want to kill any of these guys, we have the sheriff here to arrest them. Chris and I have tazers, so hopefully we can knock them down, given that you four," she gestured at Scott, Isaac, Malia and Kira, "can hold them until the sheriff can handcuff them. My main goal is to get to Derek, because I have a very bad feeling about what is going on in there." She paused and glanced around, praying her eyes weren't giving her away. "Any questions?" No one moved, so Sadie just nodded. "Ok, let's do this."

 Derek forced his heavy eyes open, squinting into the bright lights. His body was shaking, attempting to heal itself from the electric shocks.

"What do you know about the Sheldon family?" A female werewolf stood before him, her blonde hair wrapped up in a tight bun. She was tossing a cattle prod from hand to hand, glaring down at Derek. He just glared back at her, refusing to speak. He didn't know what they wanted with Sadie. Hell he could hardly think straight. They had been dousing him with freezing water, and then electrocuting him. Over and over and over. He was weakening by the minute, his body couldn't heal fast enough. "Derek... We don't want to hurt you..." The girl sad, the look on her face saying she really did enjoy hurting him. Stubbornly Derek shook his head. She sighed and flicked her hand. Almost immediately buckets of water were dumped over his head. And then  everything went black.

 "Everything looks normal in here Sade." Lydia's voice whispered through Sadie's earpiece.

 "Okay, we're going in." She replied, nodding at the other girls. Within seconds, the guard at the door was paralyzed, cuffed and gagged, and Sadie and Scott were racing down the hall with the key. Normally, Sadie's nerves would have caused her to trip, or fumble with the key, or laugh nervously. But she found herself possessing laser like focus. All she could see was Derek. Derek in pain. Derek dying. Because of her.

 Cho had said there was a button or lever under Stewart’s desk that would open the secret door. Kira found it easily, and on the count of three, Sadie had her press the button. The book case slid aside, and they were greeted by five surprised looking werewolves.

"Hey! What are you-" one started to yell, but Argent had already shocked him. And the fighting began.

 Derek was collapsed on a chair in the middle of the room, his wrists cuffed and chained to steel plates in the floor. His eyes were closed, his skin deathly pale as his chin rested against his chest. Sadie tossed her taser to Malia and pulled the machine gun she had slung over her shoulder to her front. Regular bullets wouldn't kill werewolves, but it sure would slow them down. She was closing in on Derek, having fired a few rounds on the wolves that had gotten in her way. There were growls and yells filling the air around her, but she could only hear the sound of Derek's painfully slow heartbeat.

 Thump....... Tha thump....... Thump

 Panic. Pure and utter panic. She needed to get him out of there. Now.

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a pool of water surrounding Derek. Her eyes were glittering a bright lavender. Shit. She forced herself to focus, slowing down her heartbeat to a more manageable place. Kneeling in front of Derek, she gently took his face in her hands.

"Derek," she whispered, brushing her fingers through his dark hair. "Derek..." His eyes fluttered open momentarily, but he didn't respond. Her panic was still there. Pushing up her throat, building pressure behind her eyes. She fought it off though, and wrapped her hands back around her gun. The cool metal against her palms and fingers soothed her, and she shot the chains, busting them free from the floor.

 Slinging her gun back over her shoulder, she knelt over Derek, attempting to drag him up. She was surprised by how easily he moved, until she saw Isaac on his other side. The teen was clearly  shouldering most of Derek's weight, and she sent him a thankful smile.

 It was quiet now. She and Isaac hauled Derek towards the door, and Sadie counted seven werewolves in all. They were sulking as the sheriff and Argent herded them back out into the office. Sadie had just enough time to glimpse what looked like a giant tank of water, before the book case closed behind them.

 As they were walking out, Stabler and Cho came pulling in. Stabler basically flew out of the passenger seat, a look of rage on his face.

"What the hell Sadie!" He yelled, stomping around behind her as she opened the trunk of the SUV. She and Scott sat Derek on the back, and Sadie sat beside him to keep him steady.

 "Sorry..." She waved Scott off, and wrapped her arm around Derek's waist. He nuzzled his face into her shoulder, eyes closed sleepily. "I didn't want you getting hurt because of my personal problems." She glanced up at Stabler, who was pinching the bridge of his nose.

 "So instead, you called up a bunch of teenagers?" He growled, eyes dangerous.

 "No! They were already here when I got here!" The rumble of a motorcycle had her glancing up. Braeden. Her heart dropped, and she remembered that the man beside her was no longer hers. With a sigh she pushed him off her and leaned him up against the side of the truck. "Come on, let's talk over here." She stood up and grabbed Stabler's arm, heels clacking as she dragged him across the parking lot. They joined Cho, who was admiring all of the cuffed men with the sheriff.

 "I can't believe we got taken down by a girl in high heels," one of the werewolves grumbled, and Sadie grinned at him. She was pretty proud of herself for that. She glanced back towards the SUV, pride crumbling as she watched Braeden take her seat beside Derek. Isaac and Scott were standing over there too, and Sadie desperately wanted to know what they were talking about.

Walking over to her own car, she pretended to mess around with her guns in the trunk, instead listening in.

 "I can't believe you guys got him back so fast," Braeden said, disbelief clear. Condescending bitch. "Why didn't you call me? I would've helped." Out of the corner of her eye Sadie saw Scott shrug. Then she heard Isaac snicker.

 "We had Sadie so... We were more than good." He said slowly. Sadie was surprised he was bragging about her like that. She knew he owed his life to Braeden.

 "Is the princess really with the FBI?" Braeden asked, and Sadie fought the urge to flip her off. What a bitch! She ripped at the straps on her bulletproof vest, yanking it roughly over her head. She was so over listening to this conversation. She stomped back over to her partner.

"Ok, so we good here?" She snapped, only slightly regretting taking her annoyance out on him. Stabler glanced towards Braeden, and then back at Sadie.

 "Oh, I get it now..." He said slowly, the corners of his mouth tipping up into a slight smirk. "I wanna see you duke it out with her!"

 "Maybe you should arrest her instead," she snarled, placing her hands on her hips. Stabler just chuckled.

“You know we don’t have any evidence baby girl, or else I’d let you cuff her up right now.”

“Well that’s stupid.” grumbled Sadie. She was more than ready to go home, take off these stupid shoes and stupid dress and take a hot shower. And wallow in self pity over not having Derek. No wait. She should be celebrating, with a glass of wine. Right. "I'm outta here. I can fill out reports in the morning if I need to. Thanks for your help." She slapped Stabler on the shoulder, smirking slightly as he called after her.

 "Too bad you didn't even give me a chance to help!"

 "Thanks anyways!" She yelled back, sliding behind the wheel of her car. She started it up, engine roar breaking the silence of the night. Rolling down her window she stuck her head out,

 "Scott, you need a ride?"

 They all looked over at her. Scott, Isaac, Malia, Kira, Braeden. Even Stiles and Lydia, who of course had found their way to the action.

 "Me and Isaac are gonna take my bike," he called back, looking as if he felt bad. "Thanks though!" Sadie just waved her fingers, taking off and leaving them all behind. Their pitying looks did nothing but make Sadie feel worse. The sight of Derek sleeping against Braeden wasn't helping anything either. She couldn't help but feel like she should've brought him home with her, made sure that he was ok. How was he even going to get home? It's not like a semi conscious person can really ride on the back of a motorcycle. She considered turning back for him, just marching over there and dragging him to her car. But she stopped herself.

 He didn't want to be together, and he had a new girlfriend. There was no use in her wasting precious time and energy worrying about Derek's well being. She had more important things to worry about, like the fact that Stewart was actually after her and her family. That was a big one. First thing in the morning she needed to go see her grandma, actually her dad and sort this out. Some kind of action needed to be taken here. She wondered what Stewart wanted. Would it be possible to just speak to each other instead of resorting to kidnapping and violence?

 By the time Sadie reached her apartment she had gotten herself totally stressed out. She wished she still had Ida to cuddle with. Although the fawn was probably too big to want to cuddle anymore.

"I need a kitten. Or a puppy." Sadie said to herself and she let herself in. After locking the door behind her she checked all the rooms, making sure there wasn't anyone lying in wait to snatch her. Kicking her heels off with a sigh, she poured herself a glass of white wine and padded to the bathroom. Setting her wine on the edge of the tub she started the water, and turned the music on on her phone. She poured lavender scented bubble bath in as the tub filled. The scent instantly calmed her, reminding her of her grandmother. This was a great idea.

 She pulled her dress over her head and tossed it in the corner, followed by her bra and underwear. She slowly lowered herself in, sighing as the warm water lapped over her tired body. As the dried sweat washed away, Sadie leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Lifting the glass of wine to her lips she let the soft country music wash over her. She hoped that maybe, if she let herself get lost in the music, then just maybe she could relax for the first time in weeks.


	23. Daddy's Little Girl, Momma's Little Angel

Derek's eyes were heavy, and as he forced them open, he realized that his entire body was sore. This was unusual, since he generally healed before he could really register the pain. A feminine groan came from beside him, and for a moment his heart leapt.

"Sadie," he sighed her name. But he instantly knew he was wrong, and the dark hair spread across his pillows only served as a reminder. He hadn't seen Sadie since she'd run from the loft. He hadn't meant to hurt her like that, but he really only wanted to keep her safe. Then it occurred to him... Why was Braeden in his bed?

Rubbing at his eyes he sat up, surprised to find himself still dressed in the jeans and t-shirt he had worn yesterday. Yesterday. Bits and pieces started to come back to him. Being taken. The secret door. Being cuffed up and doused with water, then electrocuted. Repeatedly. And then there was nothing.

"Oh good you're awake," Braeden sat up beside him, and Derek noticed that she was wearing sweatpants, a change from her usual denim  and leather.

"What happened?" He asked softly, turning to look at his friend over his shoulder.

"Ah you got abducted, the kids had to rescue you, you've been basically unconscious till now." Braeden answered matter-of-factly as she climbed out of the bed.

"The kids?" He asked, kind of wanting to go back to sleep. And definitely wishing he was having this conversation with Sadie instead of Braeden. Hell, just hearing her voice would make him feel better. An image of her, red hair wild, wearing a tiny black dress, a bullet proof vest, and red high heels, bursting into the room with a machine gun in hand popped into his head. It felt like a memory, but he was sure he'd imagined it. It was unrealistic. A fantasy.

"Yeah. Scott. Kira. Isaac. The coyote girl." Braeden disappeared into the bathroom, and when she emerged she was fully dressed. In black, of course. "Alright, I'm out." She told him, already at the door. She stared at Derek a minute, as if expecting him to ask where she was going, or when she'd be back. But Derek just nodded and sunk back into his pillows.

Derek had spent many years alone. The feeling of loneliness was a familiar one. In fact, he used to welcome it, almost enjoy the routine of it. Missing Sadie however, was a whole new feeling. He was broken, empty, in pain. He knew it was self inflicted, as much as he hated to admit it. He missed her smile, the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed. He yearned to smell her skin, the fresh clean scent she had right after a shower. Even more so, he missed the way she seemed to sense his feelings, how she knew his emotions just by looking in his eyes. He wanted to feel her skin against his, he lusted after her body, mind, and soul. It occurred to Derek that there was one word that summed up his feelings, but he refused to let it form in his mind. No. What he had done was for Sadie's safety, and he must stay his course. His assault last night had only proven that. His eyelids drooped, and he wriggled out of his jeans. Within minutes he was snoring loudly, dreams of Sadie dancing in his head.

\-----------------

"Daddy..." Sadie stood on her parents doorstep, feeling defeated. It had been a long time since she'd asked her father for help, and it was something she hated to do. But if last night taught her anything, it was that she needed all the help she could get.

"Sadie?" Her dad had opened the door, and was looking down at her with concern. "What's the matter?" Sadie slowly lifted her head, knowing that her eyes were a bright purple. When she had woke up they were like that, and it hadn't gone away.

"They won't change back," she whispered, the tears that had been building up for a week threatening to fall. Being around her dad just made her feel vulnerable. Without a word her dad grabbed her arm and dragged her inside.

"Thank god your mother is out for a run," her murmured.

"Why don't you just tell her about all this dad?" Sadie asked as she followed him down into the basement, and then into what she now realized was a soundproof office. Sinking into the leather chair in front of her dad's desk, she stared up at him expectantly.

"I dunno Sadie..." He shrugged. "I never knew how to tell her." Sadie rolled her eyes. She and her dad were two of a kind. "I can't believe _my daughter_ is the chosen one." He was muttering under his breath and rifling through a filing cabinet behind his desk. He pulled a giant leather bound book out from the back, dropping it onto his desk.

“Whoa,” Sadie leaned forward, tracing her fingers over the cover in awe. There were no words decorating the cover, instead a picture was engraved into the leather. A woman was crouched in the center of the page, her hair long and flowing, her dress looking more like a robe. Her forehead rested against that of a proud looking wolf, her fingers grasping the fur over his shoulder. “What is this?”

“It’s the records of the MacBeth family, passed down for generations.” Her dad answered proudly as he sat behind the desk.

“What’s with the wolf?”

“Well, I’m assuming that your grandmother told you the basics of Artio and our family’s history right?” Sadie nodded, sitting back into her chair and tucking her legs underneath her. “What she probably left out is that Angus MacBeth was a hunter, like the Argents.” Her dad paused, giving her a pointed look. “Chris called me and told me all about how you’re running with a pack of wolves now kid… You should’ve told me.”

“Tattle tale,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Come on, I wanna hear the story!”

“Anyways, Angus’ role exposed his family to the world of werewolves and the supernatural. He decided not to pass the trade down to his children, but for some reason, werewolves seemed to be attracted to his family. They were friends with the local pack, allies even. More interesting, is that it seems that Artio herself has a soft spot for werewolves. Almost every prodigy of hers has ended up with a werewolf.” Her father just let that hang there, watching as Sadie processed it. And tried her damndest not to turn into a giant tomato of embarrassment. No wonder her feelings for Derek had escalated so quickly. It was the damn goddess shit.

“So is this book going to tell me how to make my eyes turn back to normal?” she asked finally, deciding to ignore her dad’s smirk.

“Let me see,” he dad sighed, setting a pair of reading glasses on the end of his nose and flipping through the book. “Your mom misses you.” He said quietly, glancing at Sadie over his glasses.

“Yeah, let me go talk to her with eyes all purpled up, that’ll go great!” she replied sarcastically, earning a glare from her dad.

“Your eyes weren’t purple yesterday were they?” He shot back, this time not looking up from the pages. Sadie wrinkled her nose at him.

“Hey, why didn’t you ever tell me about this stuff anyways?” she asked, trying to turn him onto a different path.

“Honestly?” He had paused in his reading and met her gaze, his eyes the gray-blue that she wanted hers to return to. “I didn’t want to jinx it.” He chuckled, leaning back in his chair and running his hands through his dark hair. “From the time you were born I thought, and hoped, and prayed that maybe the Goddess would chose you as her next progeny. You’ve always been so smart, quick with your brain, and driven. I didn’t want you knowing about this whole world to get in the way of you proving to the Goddess that you were worthy.”

“God Dad, that sounds so weird!” Sadie whined, shaking her head at him until he returned to the book.

“So says the girl with the purple eyes,” he chuckled. “Ah! I think I’ve got something.” Sadie watched as his eyes flickered over the page, absorbing the material. “It seems that one of the previous Daughters, you’re the 10th Daughter of Artio by the way, was a fan of Henry David Thoreau. She found that reading some of his work, especially that on the appreciation of nature, helped calm her emotions, as well as gave her more focus onto her role of the Goddess of Wildlife… It says here that she would repeat the phrase ‘All good things are wild and free’ when she felt her emotions were getting too strong. Both she and the Daughters after her found this technique to work exceedingly well.”

“Really Dad?” she groaned, leaning her head back and staring at the ceiling. “That sounds like a load of bull.”

“I would tell you to try it, but your eyes went back to normal a couple of minutes ago…” he grinned at her. “I guess being around your Pops just has a calming effect doesn't it?”

“Dad! Why didn't you tell me that when it happened?? Hello? Priorities here!” she snapped, unable to hide her smile.

“Oh! Sounds like your mom’s home,” he pushed back from the desk and stood, pulling a smaller version of the leather book out of the top draw. “This is yours. It’s been passed down from Daughter to Daughter.” She took it from him warily, flipping through the pages.

“What is it?” she asked quietly, awe filling her again at the amount of history she held in her hands. Her dad grinned.

“Tips, tricks, love stories… you have to read it!”

“Oh my god, you’re out of control,” she grumbled, closing the book and clutching it to her chest. She walked towards the door of the office, glancing over her shoulder. “Let’s go see mom before she starts breaking down the door.”

“You know,” her dad chuckled as he came up beside her, leading them up into the house. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	24. Thick As Thieves & The Best Of Friends

It was Friday night, and Derek was planning to stay home. Again. However, Isaac and Scott seemed to think that they should be keeping him company instead of doing their usual teenager things.

"Is there something you guys want?" He asked them, glaring at the two of them spread out across his couch. Isaac shrugged, his eyes never leaving the tv, and Scott grinned at him.

"Nah, not really..." The way he trailed off had Derek thinking that they had a reason for being there. Per usual, they were up to no good. He continued to glare at them, waiting for his gaze to make them speak. Isaac was the first to crack. Although Derek wasn't sure if it could really be considered that. For Isaac seemed almost sadistically pleased with himself when he spoke.

"So... You haven't talked to Sadie huh?"

"No, why would I?" Derek frowned. He had been expecting something a little more serious,

"Seeing as she saved your life and all... You probably should've at least thanked her..." Scott was looking at him like he was stupid. And Derek was feeling it.

"What are you talking about?" He sighed, rubbing at his temples. Isaac and Scott shared a look.

"I told you he didn't know!" Scott snickered, before turning to Derek. "Yeah... Last weekend... You really didn't know?"

"I don't remember being rescued," Derek murmured. "Brae just said that you guys got me out." Isaac and Scott shared another look.

"Well that's too bad, because Sadie was sexy as all fucking hell, you should've seen her!" Isaacs eyes were wide and he fumbled for his phone.

"She always looks hot," Derek found himself speaking without thinking, his face flushing as Scott gawked at him.

"Obviously, but this was different." Isaac didn't miss a beat, and he tossed his phone to Derek. There was a video playing, of one very beautiful girl singing karaoke. His jaw dropped when he realized it was Sadie. Her voice sounded good, but he recognized the song (thanks to her weird obsession with music). She was definitely pissed. God she did look hot though. Black dress, red heels... Wait...

"Why do you have the video?" Scott was shaking his head at Isaac, who turned red and shrugged.

"I don't understand." Derek said quietly, handing Isaac back his phone. "What happened?"

"Sadie somehow knew you'd been taken. She called Argent and the sheriff, and me, and we got you back from Stewart." Scott said, as if it was nothing.

"Why was she all dressed up?"

"She was out at the Cornerstone with Stabler and Johnson when she found out." Isaac answered, glancing down at his phone. "Come on Scott, we gotta go to Mom's now." He chuckled as if making a joke.

"Mom's?" Derek shook his head. Kids these days.

"Yeah, Sadie's like our mom... You're Dad... Divorcees!" Isaacs seemed to find himself very entertaining. The two were finally leaving, but Derek felt like he had more questions.

"Why hasn't Sadie come and talked to me?" He asked as the teens headed towards the door. They shared a look for a third time before Scott answered

"She thinks you're dating Braeden."

 

Derek sat in stunned silence after the boys left. How could Sadie have thought that? He wouldn't do that to her. He couldn't see himself being with anybody. Except for her. He was still sitting there, staring blankly at the tv when his uncle walked in.

"What's the matter with you?" Peter sat in his usual spot on the staircase. "Other than the usual depressing, melodramatic problems you create for yourself?"

"Sadie thinks I'm dating Braeden." Derek didn't know why he said it. He usually didn't share personal things with Peter. Well, not anymore.

"So? I think you made the right decision. It's pretty obvious that Stewart is after her anyways." Peter responded solemnly, staring at his reflection in the window.

"What do you mean? He's after Scott." Derek mumbled, confused by Peter's words.

"Stewart is far too advanced to care about a teenage alpha. He probably just told his betas that to hide the truth. The Sheldon's are exceedingly more important." Peter spoke as if these things were common knowledge, as if they were no big deal. But Derek's brain was shifting into gear.

"What do you mean?" He asked, sitting up straighter and staring steadily at his uncle.

"You don't think I chose Lydia by mistake do you? I told you I knew of their family, and you know magic runs in their blood."

"Yeah ok, but what would Stewart want? To turn Sadie into a banshee?"

"No," Peter rolled his eyes. "You are dense sometimes. And have done absolutely no research on this girl that you're in love with!"

"Why do research when I have you?" Derek snapped, not in the mood for Peter's sass. His uncle glared at him for a few moments, before sighing and running a hand through his hair. Which he was thankfully keeping short now.

"Fine. I can't say that any of this is true. But legend has it that Sadie's grandmother, whose maiden name is MacBeth, is a descendent of the Celtic goddess Artio, the goddess of wildlife." Peter paused and looked at Derek, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "According to the story, while the magic picks and chooses descendants, generally women, the goddess herself chooses a prodigy every once in a while."

"Sadie..." Derek whispered her name. It was making since now.

"Yes, I believe that Artio has seen Sadie prove herself since moving to Beacon Hills, and has decided to bestow her powers upon her."

It made sense now, her glowing hair and eyes, her way with animals... Her way with him. And now she was in danger. He was up and out of his chair in an instant, and flying out the door. He didn't bother running down the stairs, he just jumped the bannister, landing with a thud in the ground. He considered running to Sadie's apartment, but thought better of it. Even though his car would be slower, he needed to think about this and not appear _completely_ deranged. He slid behind the wheel and started the car, tires squealing as he backed out of the parking spot and took off.

He was a mess of emotions right now. Anger, fear, worry... Love. He should've seen this coming. He should've figured it out sooner. It was obvious Sadie was more than human. Hell, he had thought she was an angel. But a goddess made more sense. Sadie had seemed to grow more and more beautiful the longer he'd known her. Maybe part of that had been the goddess in her coming out. _A goddess. Holy shit._

Lydia's car and Scott's bike were parked in front of Sadie's apartment, but her blue Subaru was gone. Derek sat in his parked car a moment, allowing himself to calm down. He could smell Sadie's perfume in the air, they had just left. He considered following them, tracking the group down, but he thought better of it. He could sense the excitement and giddiness the group had been collectively feeling, and he didn't want to ruin it.

\---------

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lydia asked as they pulled up outside of the tattoo parlor. Sadie glared at her as she parked.

“Do I look like I care?” she snarled, raising her brows when Lydia sighed.

“I think it’s awesome!” Isaac butted in, leaning in between the seats. “Bad ass actually.”

“Says the guy who’s in love with her!” Lydia snapped, pushing her door open and blindly slamming it into Stiles.

“Jesus Lyds! What the hell was that for?” He groaned, clutching his stomach. Shaking her head Sadie climbed out from behind the wheel. In all honesty this probably wasn't one of her greatest ideas, but the hell with it. She wanted a tattoo and she was getting one.

“Ok, here’s the deal.” she stood in front of the car, hands on her hips. “You all are going to sit out here and wait. Except Scott. You’re coming with me.”

“Aww come on!” Isaac moaned, his words matching Lydia’s expression. Sadie shook her head.

“Nope. The last thing I need when I’m getting needles stabbed into me is to have a crowd of obnoxious people in the tattoo parlour. Go get some ice cream or something.” Ignoring the continued complaints from Stiles, Lydia and Isaac, Sadie wrapped her hand around Scott’s upper arm and tugged him gently with her.

 

The rational reason that she’d chosen Scott was because he had tattoo, so he had some experience with this sort of thing. But really, she just liked being around him. The alpha calmed her, and she was beginning to think that the Goddess felt at ease around him.

“How can I help you?” A young woman stood behind the front desk, her hair dyed bright red, and a colorful rose tattoo covering her chest.

“Hi,” Sadie stepped forward, pulling the journal her father had given her out of her pocket. “I’d like to get this design tattooed on me.” The woman stared at her for a moment, looking as if she doubted Sadie’s resolve. So Sadie just stared back until the redhead turned towards the back of the shop.

“Sam! Got a customer for ya!” she called. “Sam’ll be right out.” Sadie nodded, her gaze already focused on the mountain of a man moving towards her.

“Right this way young lady,” the man, who must’ve been Sam, beckoned for her. Hesitantly Sadie moved towards him, dragging Scott along with her. She sat down on the chair Sam pointed to, holding her book carefully on her lap. “What’s your name?” Sam asked, sitting in a chair facing her and pulling out a notebook.

“Um, Sadie.” she smiled, after watching him, she decided he wasn't really that scary. He might’ve been big, and covered in tattoos and piercings, but he wasn’t bad. Cause she could certainly tell if someone was bad. “And this is my friend Scott.” She motioned towards the alpha, who was hovering anxiously behind her.

“Nice to meet you Sadie and Scott.” Sam grinned. “So tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Ok, so see this?” she handed him her notebook, and pointed to the picture of the goddess and the wolf. Sam took it from her, nodding already. “I’d like to get that here,” she pulled up her t-shirt, rubbing her stomach. She had to give Sam credit, he barely flinched at the sight of her solar cross shaped scar. Luckily (Sadie had a feeling she owed the Goddess for this), most of it hadn’t scarred all that bad with the exception of the outer circle. “And then I was thinking I could do paw prints in a circle around it, covering my scar.”

“I like it, I like it a lot,” Sam mused, reaching out and pushing her shoulder back slightly so he could see her full stomach. “Yup, I can see it. Now are you thinking just black and gray?”

“Yes, definitely.” Sadie nodded. _Do I really want to do this? I want to do this. I need to do this._

“Ok, let me go draw something up. I’ll be right back.” He scooped up her journal and his notebook, disappearing into a back room.

Sadie was silent, waiting for Scott to speak. She could tell he had a million questions to ask her.

“So…” the alpha sat beside her, looking only slightly uncomfortable. “What’s going on with you Sadie? I can sense a change.” She sighed. Lydia was still the only person she’d told about the whole goddess thing. It just wasn’t something that you brought up in everyday conversation.

“Well… long story short, I am the tenth Daughter of Artio, the Celtic goddess of wildlife.” Scott stared at her a beat, face filled with confusion.

“Ummm… what does that mean exactly?” He asked finally.

“I can communicate with animals, heal people who have been poisoned by nature-made substances, my senses are heightened, as are my emotions… I’m still learning about it honestly.” Scott nodded, just watching her.

“What’s with the wolf?”

“Oh. Right. Well, all the daughters of Artio have had really close relationships with werewolves. Kind of like protecting each other i guess.” She left out the part about falling in love with each other. That was not necessary. She was surprised to see Scott grin.

“I like that,” his large hand closed around hers. “Protecting each other.” He paused, expression turning serious. “I want you to know that you’re a member of my pack. From the moment I met you in Lydia’s bedroom I could feel it, we all could. You’re one of us.” Sadie felt tears prick the backs of her eyes at Scott’s words. She felt like she really belonged.

“Thanks Scott,” she whispered, squeezing his fingers. And he was right. They were all connected. She could feel it too. They were her pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title for this and the next chapter are taken from the lyrics of Blood Brothers by Luke Bryan... which I think is a fitting song for the McCall Pack! Thanks for reading :)
> 
> XOXO - B


	25. You Mess With One You Gotta Take Us All

Sadie sat on the floor of her investigation room, staring up at the wall. She and Stabler had been able to nail Stewart’s guys for kidnapping her and Derek, and all of them were being held at the county jail. She knew it was only a matter of time before they escaped, but at least their names were in the system. Now she was trying to figure out if any of Beacon Hills’ open cases could also be connected back to the Celts.

But she couldn’t focus. She’d just returned from her second and final session with Sam, her tattoo finally finished. The burning sensation on her stomach reminded her of the night she was branded, which in turn made her think of a certain hunky werewolf. Derek.

Lydia and Scott had tried to tell her that he wasn’t dating Braeden, that they were just friends. And she wanted to believe them. She wanted to run back to him and beg at his feet to get back together with her. But she had way too much pride. He was going to have to crawl back to her. _It wouldn’t hurt to at least go talk to him though…_

As soon as the thought entered her head she was on her feet and out the door. She drove way too fast across town, her heart hammering in her chest and her eyes looking just a little bit purple. She parked in a parking lot across the street from the loft, her bright blue car hidden behind a utility van. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. Acting like a crazy person was not going to help her make Derek beg for her to come back. So she stared across the street at the stairs to Derek’s loft, waiting for her nerves to calm.

The arrival of Derek on the stairs did nothing to help her. He moved slowly, his eyes looking sad even from this far away. He paused on the bottom step, his chin lifting as he glanced around. For a moment she thought he saw her, his eyes focusing in her direction. But then he sighed and shook his head, looking dejected as he let his body sink onto the steps.

He was upset.

Sadie reached for her seatbelt, preparing to jump out of the car and run to him. The low rumble of a motorcycle coming down the street had her pausing. Over on the stairs Derek lifted his head, a small smile on his lips. Sadie felt her stomach clench painfully as she watched Braeden climb off her motorcycle and sit beside Derek, wrapping a comforting arm around him. _No. No. That’s supposed to be me._ Her annoyance turned to horror as Derek leaned into Braeden, his head turning towards her, his lips brushing hers. Now Sadie felt sick. Really sick. The air seemed to thicken, as if a cloud of humidity had dropped around her. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes burning a deep violet. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't drive away, they would see her car. She couldn’t look away; a perverse need to watch overcoming her. Derek’s hands were on Braeden’s face, then pushing into her hair. And then he was pulling her onto his lap, wrapping her legs around him as he stood and turned back up the stairs, disappearing into the loft.

Sadie forced herself to wait a full minute before starting her car. She forced herself not to burn out when she turned out of the parking lot, she barely even revved the engine. Derek would never know that she had been there.

Her phone started to ring, so she dug it out of her purse, answering it quickly.

“Hello?”

“Sadie, something’s wrong.” Lydia’s voice sounded off, shaky.   
“What’s the matter?” she asked, pushing her thoughts of Derek aside and focusing instead on her baby cousin.

“I-I fell asleep on the couch, a-and I had this dream, and Gramps-” Lydia was almost sobbing now. “Something was wrong w-with him! I th-think her was d-dead.”

“Hey, hey, it’s gonna be ok,” Sadie said calmly, even as she pulled a U-turn and headed to her grandparents.

“No!” Lydia yelled. “You don’t understand. I predict death Sadie! It’s what I do!”

“I know Lyd, take a deep breath please,” Sadie whispered, hoping to calm her cousin. “I’m going there now, I’m going to make it better.” Lydia was silent for a few moments, only the sound of sniffling coming over the line.

“I’ll meet you there.” she said finally, her voice gaining strength.

“No.” Sadie answered immediately. “Stay home.”

“You can’t do this alone!”

“Yes I can. Don’t you dare show up there Lydia. I’m serious. I’ll call you later.” She hung up before he cousin could protest any longer. The last thing she needed was to have Lydia in the middle of any sort of trouble. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew that having Lydia at her grandparents would only result in her getting hurt.

She got to the farm way quicker than she should have, her panic mixed with heartbreak pushing her to drive like a reckless idiot. But she didn’t care, jumping out of the car and racing up the porch steps and bursting in side.

“Sadie! What the hell!” Luke was in the kitchen, a stack of cookies in his hand.

“Where’s Grampa?” she growled, not daring to meet her cousin’s eyes and let him see hers.

“In the living room… Are you ok?” She ignored his question, instead turning on her heel and peering into the living room.Her grandfather was reclined in his easy chair, today’s paper resting on his chest as he snored lightly. Mary Beth was curled up on the end of the couch, organizing what looked to be a bunch of differents herbs on the coffee table.

“Seriously Sadie, you’re freaking me out.” Luke grumbled as he walked past her, his (much smaller) stack of cookies in one hand and a glass of milk in the other.

“You guys need to get out of here,” she croaked, causing her grandmother to look up at her sharply. She could feel it. The air was abuzz with tension, with danger. The sky was darkening quickly, an unnatural pace for the middle of the summer.

“No,” Luke sassed her. “Gram’s gonna teach me some some spells and stuff. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why don’t I get to learn spells?” Sadie asked grumpily, momentarily distracted. “Wait, never mind. We need to leave. Now.” Luke opened his mouth to argue with her, but Mary Beth cut him off.

“What’s going on Sadie?” she asked, her voice soft but firm. Sadie shook her head slightly, unsure how to explain it.

“Lydia… I… Can we just-” Her head jerked up at the sound of her horse’s frantic whiny, followed by the sound of thundering hooves and stressed mooing of the herd of cows. Sadie took a deep breath, her eyes fluttering closed as she focused in on the animals’ fear. “The Celts are here.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

“What is going on with you Sadie? You’re acting so freaking weird?” Luke hissed, shaking his head.

“Luke - enough.” Mary Beth snapped, causing the boy to flinch slightly.

“You guys need to go upstairs.” Sadie ordered, what was she going to do? How could she stop this? “Get Grandpa up, go into your bedroom, and lock the doors. Shut the blinds. And be quiet.” She started for the door, her hands shaking. “And don't come down here until I say!” She shouted over her shoulder, not looking back as she broke into a run.

Her guns were in her car. In the trunk. The locked trunk. Her hands were sweaty as she unlocked and then yanked the trunk open, but the sight of her arsenal somehow calmed her. The cool metal of her machine gun brought her back to her senses as she methodically loaded the clip and the slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed the high powered taser Argent had given her, pausing when the hair on the back of her neck prickled. They were here.

“You must be the one everybody's been talkin’ about,” a deep male voice growled behind her. _I can do this. I can do it._ Sadie turned around slowly, holding in a gasp when she realized she was surrounded. There was seven of them. Teeth bared, eyes glowing, growling at her.

“Yup! That’s me,” she forced a grin, hoping to throw them off their guard. Instead they all inched closer, backing Sadie up against her car. She gulped. There was no way she could fight off seven werewolves. “So… what brings ya’ll here?” She asked, her brain coming up blank as she tried to think of a plan.

Suddenly there was a loud growl behind her, followed by two shadows leaping over her and landing in between her and the werewolves.

“Stay away from her,” Scott growled, the Stewart’s wolves visible shrinking back at the sight of the alpha’s red eyes. But they didn’t go far, and when Isaac growled from his place beside Scott, they stepped closer. This was not going well. Sadie heard Kira’s katana slicing through the air before she saw her, catching one of the werewolves by surprise. The fight was on.

 

It amazed Sadie how well they fought together. The pack was like a well oiled machine, and she wondered if it was natural or if it was just from being good friends. She’d have to ask Der--. She stopped her thought process, instead focusing on the action. There was movement behind her and she spun around, thrusting the taser forward.

“Whoa!” Isaac jumped back from her, the electric current missing his chest by less than an inch.

“Isaac!” She yelled, dropping her arm in shock. “What are you doing?”

“I just - they’re leaving, look.” He pointed behind him, where the Celts were retreating into the woods, metaphorical tails between their legs.

“Thank God,” Sadie covered her face with her hands and sunk to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest.

“Hey, are you ok?” Isaac dropped to his knees beside her, soon joined by Scott, Kira and Malia. Sadie shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

“How did you guys know?” she whispered, avoiding the question.

“Lydia called,” Scott answered, rubbing her arm gently.

“Thank you,” her voice was soft as she finally opened her eyes, confident that her heart rate had slowed enough and her eyes had returned to gray blue.

“Hey, that’s what being part of a pack is all about,” Malia offered, leaning around Kira as she spoke. “We have each other’s backs.” Sadie just smiled, cringing at the sound of her grandma’s front door opening.

“So this is your pack huh?” Gram’s voice cut through the air, clear as bell. Sadie sighed in defeat. This oughta be fun.

“You lucky ducks get to meet my family,” she grumbled, pushing herself to her feet. “Come on inside.” She grinned, pulling Isaac up beside her. “There’s cookies in crazy land. It’ll be fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! 
> 
> XOXO - B
> 
> (Again, the Chapter Title is from the lyrics of Blood Brothers - Luke Bryan) :)


	26. Blood Brothers

**One Week Later**

The kids. Where were the kids. Her kids. Sadie was panicking. She could feel something was wrong, and no one was answering their phones. Panic. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She could actually feel it slamming against her rib cage, trying to escape.

"Dad!" Her voice cracked as she held her phone to her ear. She was parked on the side of the road, the engine still running. "I don't know where my pack is." She whispered, not trusting herself to speak any louder. The tears would undoubtedly start to fall if she did.

 

"Sadie. Breathe." He fathers voice calmed her as she took a big breath.

 

"Ok, ok" her heart beat began to slow slightly.

 

"Sweetheart, tell me what's going in." She heard a door close, and realized her dad must've just locked himself in his office.

 

"I just... I had a bad feeling. Awful feeling." She paused and sighed. "I called Lyd and got no answer. I called Scott the alpha, straight to voicemail. I called Stiles and Isaac and Malia and Kira and no one is answering! I'm so scared Daddy!"

 

"Shhh shhh honey," the pages of a book being turned fluttered through the phone. "Listen. All you need to do is trust your instinct."

 

"Oh come on dad, what are you friggen Yoda now?"

 

"Sadie please. Be serious." Her dad snarled, continuing before she could retort. "Focus on that bad feeling you have. Don't think about anything else, just that. The goddess will guide you."

 

"Are you sure this will work Obi Wan?"

 

"Yes. That's why I'm hanging up on you. Call me later."

 

"No daddy! Wait!" There was a beep, and he was gone. Panic. Utter panic. All alone. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Sadie screamed. She screamed until her throat hurt, until tears ran down her face. She screamed until the windows rattled.

 

And then it was silent.

 

Lydia's shoes. That's what came to mind first. Those little brown high heeled booties she wore. They were caked with mud, splattered with blood, and connected to a pair of pale, trembling legs.

 

It was gone.

 

"Focus." Sadie whispered, forcing her eyes closed."Come on."

 

Lydia. Her arm wrapped around Stiles, who was dripping blood onto her shoes. Isaac, Malia and Kira stood in front of them. And Scott was on point.

 

"Where are you guys..." Sadie whispered. Her eyes popped open. And she just knew.

 

When she parked her car at the edge of the Beacon Hills Wildlife Preserve, there was a little red fox waiting for her, just sitting beneath an oak tree. _Trust your instinct._ So instead of questioning why the fox was out in the open like this, she ran towards it, following it deeper into the forest. Suddenly the smell of iron, no blood hit her, and she skidded to a halt. The fox rubbed against her legs as she peered around a tree, holding in a gasp at the scene below her.

 

The valley below looked like a war scene. Her pack was positioned just as she had envisioned them, except they were facing off against a line perhaps a small gang. An older woman, probably in her sixties, was front and center, twirling a dagger between her fingers as she stared at Scott. What Sadie assumed to be her men flanked her on either side, strapped with high powered guns. The smell of blood hit her again, and she realized that it was coming from her right.

 

She crept cautiously between the trees, surprised by just how quietly she could move. And then her stomach dropped.

“Derek,” she whispered, forcing her legs to move forward. He was collapsed on the forest floor, back leaned up against a maple tree. His eyes were drooped, his lips stained red with blood, and dark scarlet was spreading through his t-shirt on the left side of his chest. Braeden was crouched over him, panic clear in her eyes when she saw Sadie.

“What’s going on?” Sadie whispered, dropping to her knees beside Derek.

“I don’t know, I think the bullets have wolfsbane on them i don’t know, the Calaveras are really bad and I-” The mercenary was rambling, so Sadie blocked her out. She had the information she needed.

“Knife?” she stuck her hand out towards Braeden, letting the goddess guide her actions. “Braeden?” she snapped, turning to glare at her. “For God’s sake, give me your knife.” The other girl flinched, begrudgingly pulling a knife out of her boot and handing it to Sadie. She took it from her, holding it between her teeth as she pulled Derek’s shirt over his head, then used it to sop up some of the blood. Working quickly she dug the bullet out of the wound, dropping it and the knife onto the ground. Scott and Derek had told her that to counteract wolfsbane you had to have some of the source. But her  instinct was telling her that she could fix this. Wolfsbane was a plant after all.

 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I can do this._ When she opened them she knew they were purple, but she continued on, pressing her hands firmly to Derek’s chest. Tendrils of purple smoke floated up from where their skin touched, a sizzling sound barely audible. And then Derek opened his eyes.

“Sadie,” he whispered her name, but she was already on her feet. Running. Her fox friend had appeared again, guiding her down a path into the valley. She had to get to her kids.

 

Her boots slid across the leaves as she skidded to a stop in front of Scott. Within seconds she had a dozen guns pointed at her, and one smirking old lady staring her down.

“Leave my pack alone,” Sadie growled, her head and eyes pointed at the ground.

“Sadie, no.” Scott growled from behind her.

“Yes Scott,” the old woman spoke with a slow spanish accented drawl. “Keep your beta here under control.” Slowly Sadie lifted her head, her eyes blazing.

“I’m not his beta,” she hissed, grinning as the whole group took a step back from her.

“Scott…” Lydia’s quiet voice came from behind them. “We got a problem…” Without even looking Sadie knew. She could hear their footsteps, their heartbeats, smell their now familiar scents. The Celts were here too. _Oh for fuck’s sake._ Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the spanish lady’s guys turn, pointing his gun towards the ridge where she’d left Derek and Braeden.

“Noooo!” she screamed, her body in motion before she could even think, leaping through the air. She fell to the ground, a slight stinging on her left palm. Everyone was yelling now, pointing guns and twirling knives and sprouting claws. _You can control the weather._ Her grandmother’s words floated through her brain. She began to panic again. How was this going to even happen? No one had taught her anything! “All good things are wild and free.” She whispered the words, repeating them as a sort of quiet strength filled her body.

 

Fog began to rise from the ground. Thick, swirling, blinding, blocking the pack from both the Celts and the spanish lady and her crew.

“Scott,” Sadie whispered his name, knowing he could hear her. “We need to get out of here. Follow the animals.Malia needs to grab Lydia. Isaac carry Stiles. You and Kira with me. Go!” She pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the burning in the center of her clenched fist and the blood dripping down her wrist. Spotting the red fox through the fog she scrambled towards him, relieved to catch a glimpse of Lydia and Malia in front of her.

The fog cloaked them as they ran, swirling around them and blinding their enemies. Sadie passed the tree where Derek had laid; it was bare save for a patch of bloody leaves. So she plowed on, reaching behind her and grabbing Kira’s hand, dragging her, keeping her from tripping over roots and rocks. And then suddenly they’d reached her car. Sadie collapsed against it, chest heaving.

“Ok, pile in, let’s go.” She ordered, watching as Scott pulled open the passenger door, beckoning for Kira to sit on his lap. The other four squeezed in the back seat, no one saying a word as Sadie jumped behind the wheel and tore off.

 

“So….” Isaac was the first to speak, his voice breaking the silence as they pulled up in front of Sadie’s apartment. “Are we going to talk about this or what?” Sadie didn’t answer right away, just put the Subie in park and climbed out, pulling the seat forward so they could exit the back.

“Once we’re safe inside, I’ll fill you in.” She kept her voice low, eyes darting around as she herded the kids inside. Locking the door behind her, Sadie leaned against it, fighting exhaustion. The kids. They were hurt. She needed to fix them. “Ok, who’s got injuries that aren’t healing?” All six raised their hands. Sadie sighed. “Alright, let’s get started.” She pushed off the door, walking into the kitchen and pulling out the herbal medicine kit her grandmother had given her. “Stewart and his men are after me,” she said quietly, beckoning for Lydia. “Well, I think he’s trying to get to my grandmother. He doesn’t realize that I am the tenth Daughter of Artio.” She gently cleaned the scratch on Lydia’s cheek with a warm cloth.

“Um Daughter of who now?” Stiles asked, sliding onto one of the stools at the counter.

“Artio, the Celtic goddess of wildlife.” Sadie answered, covering Lydia’s wound with a paste and placing a bandage over it. “Our family is descended from her. Magic runs in our blood, and she chose me to become one of her daughters.” She paused and moved on to Stiles. He had a deep gash on his forearm, and a couple of his fingers looked to be broken. “I can communicate with animals, not like talk to them… I understand them I guess. I can control the weather, plants flourish and obey my commands. I can heal the effects of poisoning by natural things like plants and animal venom.” She began splinting Stiles’ fingers. “My eyes also glow fucking purple all the time, my emotions are out of control, and my hair glows under a blacklight. You’re good.” she moved onto the wolves, knowing that wolfsbane had to be involved here. “Peachy right?” She grinned at Isaac, who was staring at her with an awe filled expression. When no one spoke, she continued with her work, mopping up blood and using her hands to pull the wolfsbane from their systems. She realized that she liked this part. The healing, the making people better. Maybe she would get used to this whole goddess thing.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for Reading! 
> 
> XOXO - B


	27. She's Like Starin' At The Sun

Sadie's eyes were closed, but her brain was still running at full speed. The bullet wound on her palm throbbed beneath the bandage. She tried to ignore it, tried to fall asleep. Lying perfectly still on her back was not her usual sleeping position, but curling up on her side only made her think of Derek. How his arm would wrap around her waist in his sleep, his breath warm in her ear. Derek.

"Get out of my head," she moaned, slamming her fists into the sheets.

BAM BAM BAM

A fist slammed into Sadie's front door. Her eyes flashed open, and the image of Derek, collapsed on Braeden's shoulder appeared momentarily in her head.

BAM BAM BAM

The banging returned, and Sadie rolled out of bed.

"Jesus Christ." She muttered, stumbling toward the door and yanking her stupid little night gown lower over her ass. Why had she worn this again?

Yanking the door open she gasped. Braeden, looking grim, dragged Derek inside.

"I'm sorry," the pretty girl apologized gruffly. "He insisted on coming."

"Sadie..." Derek moaned her name, his eyes flashing blue for a moment before closing, his face deathly pale.

"What's the matter with him?" Sadie asked Braeden, stepping under Derek's other arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. He was cold, and his entire body was trembling. Sadie could see blood slowly seeping from the bullet wound on his chest. "Why didn't he heal?"

"I don't know." Braeden sent Sadie a hard look. "I thought you'd know. You seem to have powers after all." Sadie rolled her eyes and walked Derek into the bathroom.

"Let's get you warmed up sweetie," she whispered gently, turning on the hot water and plugging the tub. "Is he healing normal other than the bullet wound?"

"I don't know. I haven't like stabbed him to test it." Braeden hissed quietly, holding most of Derek's weight. _Does this chick know anything._ Sadie forced herself to remain neutral, trying to get rid of her jealousy.

"Just get his shirt off." Sadie snapped. It seemed that the mercenary responded best to direct orders. She did as she was told, among a series of irritated sighs and eye rolls. Sadie ignored her and reached for the button of his jeans, trying not to think about the few times she had helped him out of his pants under very different circumstances. She felt a mixture of jealousy and sadness well up inside, amplified by the goddess.

"All good things are wild and free," she whispered to herself. "All good things are wild and free." Sadie almost couldn't believe that repeating those words actually calmed her. Maybe her dad was always right.

She tried to approach the situation clinically, as a nurse or doctor would. Crouching in front of Derek she slid his jeans down to his ankles. Grasping his calf she forced him to pick up one foot, and then the other so that she could pull his boots, socks, and pants off.

"Okay, let's get him warmed up," she murmured, standing and helping Braeden guide him into the tub. The werewolf sighed when his body hit the steaming water, a small smile gracing his features for a moment. "Do you still have your knife? I need to know if he's healing." She tried to be polite to Braeden. Tried being the key word. The other girl pulled out her knife, the same one that they'd used to cut the bullet out of Derek in the woods, and handed it to Sadie.

Their eyes met, and for a moment they shared a mutual understanding. Sadie could see Braeden's worry and love for Derek in her deep brown eyes. She could tell that the fearless bounty hunter was scared by her shaking hands. So Sadie smiled. "He's going to be ok Braeden. I won't let him die." She took the knife and kneeled beside the tub. Derek's hand rested on the edge, and Sadie secured his wrist with her left hand. "Derek. Can you hear me?" He nodded minutely. "Ok. I'm going to cut your arm a little. I need to see if you can heal." Her voice was soft and steady. Later, looking back, Sadie would realize how much she had learned from her grandmother in moments like these.

"Do it." Derek growled, his voice barely audible. Sadie nodded, took a deep breath, and sliced a small cut in his forearm. Blood started to leak out, but then it receded, healing before her eyes. Sadie let out the breath she was holding and looked up at Braeden.

"Well that's a good sign. I'm going to gather some stuff for the hole in his chest. Stay with him."

 

Sadie pushed herself up off the floor and swept out of the bathroom. Most of the herbs and medicinal supplies were still out from when she had fixed up all the kids. She filled a mug with water and stuck it in the microwave. She tried not to think about Derek. But the goddess part of her had other ideas. Artio had chosen him. It was pretty clear to Sadie. But she was way too prideful and stubborn to beg him to come back to her. There was no way in hell that that was going to happen. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the kitchen window, her eyes a bright purple.

"Shit." She took a breath. "All good things are wild and free." The microwave beeped, and she pulled the now piping hot water out, and dropped a chamomile tea bag in there with some honey. "All good things are wild and free." Grabbing the other supplies she tucked them under her arm and headed back towards the bathroom. She purposefully stepped with heavy feet, attempting to give Braeden and Derek a chance to compose themselves. _That_ was the last thing she needed.

She was surprised to see Braeden perched on the edge of the sink, a resigned look on her face. Sadie raised her brows, silently asking. Braeden shrugged,

"He just keeps muttering your name." Sadie flushed. Now she felt bad. Well she felt good, but she knew she shouldn't. She sat on the edge of the tub, placing the mug of tea behind her. Leaning over Derek she wiped the blood away from the bullet wound, trying to see what was wrong. It was hard to see with the blood pooling at such a high rate. She glimpsed what looked like a shard of metal, and dread curled around her heart.

"There's something in here," she directed her comment at Braeden. "You will need to hold him down for me." Braeden nodded and knelt beside her, her hands pressing against Derek's shoulders. "I can't believe I missed this before."

"You had a lot to worry about Sadie," Braeden said kindly, surprising her. Maybe she had been wrong about the mercenary. She just nodded in response, gripping a pair of tweezers tightly between her fingers.

"All good things are wild and free," she muttered, wiping away the blood one more time. She plunged the tweezers in, and Derek's eyes snapped open, glowing that bright blue. "I'm sorry," she whispered, struggling to focus.

"I've got him Sadie. Just do your thing." Braeden's voice was strained, but Sadie responded instantly. Her mind snapped to attention, her eyes focusing unnaturally, allowing her to see the metal in Derek chest. She clamped onto it with the tweezers and yanked it out.

Sadie's jaw dropped on horror. It looked like a two inch long needle had broken off inside of Derek. He collapsed against the shower wall, but Sadie could see color returning to his face. She handed the tweezers and needle to Braeden, and began sopping up the blood running down Derek's chest. Sadie glanced up at him, smiling slightly when she saw his beautiful green eyes blinking back at her. His expression had her heart jumping, and the goddess doing a happy dance.

"What is this thing anyway? I've never seen anything like it." Braeden was standing at the sink  having rinsed the blood off the needle. Sadie handed Derek the mug of tea, glaring at him until he took a sip. Smirking she stood and joined the mercenary.

"I'm thinking that the Calavera's must have some kind of bullet that also injects poison..." Sadie murmured, chewing on her bottom lip.

"But you had already gotten rid of the wolfsbane... Right?" Braeden asked, glancing at Sadie curiously.

"Yeah," Sadie thought for a moment. "The bullet must've been coated in a form of wolfsbane, which I have the power to counteract. Whatever was injected with the needle must be something synthetic... With the needle in there keeping the wound open, he couldn't heal."

 

Braeden was nodding along, and for the first time Sadie really noticed the scars that stretched across her neck. Isaac had told her that an alpha had tried to kill her a couple of months ago, but she had somehow survived. It seemed like an inhuman feat to be able to live through having your throat slashed. But that was a mystery for another day.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Braeden asked.

"We need to keep it..." Derek spoke for the tub, his voice hoarse. He didn't elaborate, just stared up at Sadie. She sighed.

"Right. I should have some thing under the sink in the kitchen... I'll go -"

"No. I'll do it." Braeden cut her off, pushing gently past Sadie and closing the bathroom door behind her.

Sadie was alone with Derek for the first time since her dumped her. She wanted to be angry with him. She wanted to yell and scream and tell him she hated him. But he was looking at her with that little half smile and crinkles in the corners of his eyes and she couldn't hold onto her anger.

"A goddess huh?" Derek asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. "So what can you do? Fly? Disappear? Read minds?" Sadie bit her lip and glared at him, trying not to smile.

"I'm a descendent of Artio, the -"

"Goddess of wildlife, I know." Derek cut her off, smirking. "I want to know the cool stuff!"

"Can you let me talk?" She was perched on the edge of the tub, facing Derek. "I can mostly only do stuff that relates to nature. Heal people who've been poisoned by berries or bitten by snakes. I can make plants grow or die. My emotions affect the weather. I can communicate with animals." Sadie was counting her known abilities on her fingers. When she looked up Derek was staring at her again, this time his eyes full of sadness.

"I'm such an idiot," he whispered, setting the now empty mug on the floor and reaching for Sadie's hand. "I was being stupid and foolish and self centered. I always knew you were special. I should've known that you were the one everyone was after."

Sadie stared down at her hands, twisting around Derek's in her lap. She didn't know what to say. Her first instinct was to forgive him, to jump right into the tub with its pink tinged water and snuggle up against him. But she wanted to make the right choice for herself. She wanted to be logical, rational, level headed. All the things she used to be before she moved to this crazy town. Before she could reply the door creaked open and Braeden poked her head in.

 

"I'm going to head out you guys, I've got... things to do..." She trailed off and stiffened her jaw. I'll see you around." For a moment, Sadie was sure she could feel Braeden's heart breaking. And then the girl was gone.

"She's been listening outside the door," Derek said quietly, his large hand squeezing Sadie's gently. She just watched him a moment, taking in his handsome face, and then focusing on the bullet hole in his chest. The bleeding seemed to have slowed, but it wasn't healing very fast at all.

"Why don't you get cleaned up? I'll find some sweats for you." She spoke softly, pushing herself up, pulling her (always stupid) nightgown down as she did. She could tell that things were going to escalate quickly, the atmosphere was thick with tension. She needed a minute to clear her head. She needed a minute to control the goddess.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The titles from the next three chapters come from the lyrics of Staring At The Sun by Jason Aldean :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B
> 
> Also- I know it ended a bit abruptly here, but I needed to split it into two chapters!


	28. She's Like Standin' In The Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smut ahead!

Derek watched her move away from him, eyes averted, hands tugging at the hem of her little nightie. Her heart beat was a little faster than normal, but he had no idea what exactly was upsetting her. She had closed the door behind her, leaving Derek alone with his thoughts. Leaning forward, he pulled the plug in the bottom of the tub. He stared as the water, pink with his blood, circled around the drain. Getting back with Sadie had gone differently in his head. He had imagined her crying tears of joy, jumping into his arms, kissing him fiercely.

He turned the shower on and stood under the stream of water, slowly peeling his soaked boxers off his body. He should have known better. Sadie wasn't that kind of girl. Yes, she was loyal, but she was proud, and he had been doing her a disservice by expecting her to crawl back to him.

It hit him while he was washing his hair, the smell of Sadie's shampoo surrounding him. She had saved his life. Twice. And he knew all along that she was the only one who could. She had done it all like it was nothing, like it was just something normal she did every day. He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. As he toweled off he was surprised to see a pair of his sweatpants and one of his Beacon Hills Athletics tee shirts folded neatly on the sink. Sadie had either gained the ability to be super stealthy, or he'd been totally off his game. But he felt safe in Sadie's apartment. Always had, always will. He pulled on the sweats, but simply draped the shirt over his shoulder. He wanted Sadie to take a look at the wound on his chest. Plus, it wasn't fair that she was waltzing around in that sexy little night gown. He needed something to get at least a foot on the court.

When he walked into her bedroom, the smell of herbs hit him in full force, she had her back to him, hunched over her desk, mixing something with a pestle and mortar.

"So uh, is this nightie like part of the goddess sleepwear requirements or..." Derek trailed off as she glared at him, her eyes flickering between blue, lavender and a deep purple.

"Sit on the bed and be quiet," she hissed, stomping towards him and pushing his shoulder towards her bed. He would've believed that she was angry, except for the tiny twitch if her lips, betraying a hidden smile.

"Sorry... You're just like smokin hot." He explained, grinning widely as he settled onto bed. It occurred to him that this was the first time he'd really smiled in weeks.

"Well. You have a girlfriend. So you shouldn't say stuff like that." Sadie had returned to her herbs, pounding at them harder than necessary.

"I'm not with Braeden..." Derek offered, watching the way her shoulders tensed, he could hear the rumble of thunder outside the window.

"I saw you with her. I saw it." Sadie's voice was shaky, and she had stopped mixing, her hands gripped the edge of the desk with white knuckles.

"What do you..." And then he remembered. _That night_. He'd thought he was imagining things, going crazy. He'd smelled Sadie's perfume, heard her heart beating. He'd put it to his loneliness and desperation, and had thrown himself at Braeden. "Oh my god." He whispered. She'd been there all along. "Sadie I..."

"I don't need an explanation Derek," she snapped, still not looking at him as lightning cracked outside the window.

"Yes you do," he growled. "That only happened once. I thought I was going crazy. I smelled you, I was desperate, trying to get over you. I'm not proud, but I tried to distract myself with Braeden. It was useless..." He trailed off, his words sounding lame as they hung in the thick air between them. Sadie was mumbling to herself, but he couldn't make out the words. When she turned around, her face was a picture of serenity, and he realized the storm outside had calmed. She didn't say anything, just climbed on the bed beside him. She started to rub the herb mixture into his wound, instantly easing the pain. He just watched as she taped gauze over it, and then wrapped a bandage around his entire chest to hold it,

"There's no point in stitching it, but I still worry about infection." She explained as she secured the end of the bandage.

"Hey-" he caught her left hand, just noticing thick gauze wrapped around her palm. "What the hell is this?" She tried to pull her hand back, but he wouldn't let her. Instead he gently pulled the gauze off, revealing a sloppily stitched up slice across her palm, the edges burned black.

"You don't heal?" He was very surprised. It seemed like she should be immortal. She shook her head.

"Not like you, i have faster healer than normal, but I think it's supposed to serve as fuel to my cause." Derek nodded and slowly ran his finger over the stitches. He should've have been surprised that she hadn't asked anyone to help her stitch it up, but he wasn't. But it was just like her.

"What happened?" He asked gently, frowning when she blushed.

"Grabbed a bullet," she muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"They were shooting at you and Brae!" She hissed. "They were trying to mess with me! So I just caught the bullet." Derek just stared at her for a moment, her blue eyes were stormy tonight, and he was beginning to see some purple swirling with the blue gray of her irises. Her red hair was falling out of the knot on top of her head, framing her face. Her expression was pure defiance. Derek sighed.

"Come here," he gripped her waist and dragged her to him, positioning her so she was straddling his thighs. "Let me fix you."

Before Sadie could stop him Derek scooped her up into his arms and hopped off the bed. She huffed in annoyance, but Derek just grinned. He could tell it was fake. Holding her to his chest he grabbed the suture needle and thread off her desk, before settling back onto the bed. He knew Sadie was glaring at him, but he ignored her. Instead he gently removed the stitches she had done herself, absorbing her pain into his veins as he worked. It showed up as a glittering violet under his skin, instead of the normal black, and it felt almost sharper than it should have. Working quickly he re-stitched the wound, finishing within seconds. As he taped gauze over her palm, Sadie started to mumble.

"All good things are wild and free." He looked up at her, but her eyes were squeezed shut. He considered asking what the hell she was doing, but something distracted him.

Her night gown had ridden up towards her waist, revealing that smooth porcelain skin that had haunted his dreams. But now, peeking out from behind the silk, Derek could see what looked like the edge of a tattoo.

"I got a tat..." Sadie said, causing Derek to glance up at her. She still had her eyes closed, but her chin was up, almost defiant. Reaching down, she pulled the nightgown up, revealing her stomach.

 

A trail of paw prints created a circle, covering up the outer edge of the solar cross scar. They led to a wolf silhouette, sitting proudly beside the shape of a woman. She was crouched beside the wolf, her forehead resting against his, camaraderie evident.

 

"It's my family's symbol. The goddess and the wolf." Sadie spoke again and he began to trace the line with his fingertips. "The goddess has a... Thing... For werewolves."

 

"A thing?" Derek asked with a smirk, expecting to see her grinning down at him. Instead her face was still turned up towards the ceiling, eyes squeezed shut.

 

"All good things are wild and free," she whispered, like a breeze floating in through the window. "All good things are wild and free."

 

"What does that mean?" He asked cautiously, curious, but hesitant.

 

"It's a quote from Henry David Thoreau," Sadie answered. "One of the previous daughters found that it helped her with control of... The inner goddess."

 

"Why, what's happening to you?" Derek's fingers continued to  trace the tattooed lines on her stomach. Sadie sighed, lowering her chin but facing the wall.

“The goddess within me has very, very strong emotions,” Sadie explained, her hands fisting in the sheets. “When she wants something, it is very hard to control the urges.” Derek felt his heart drop a little. If the Goddess had a thing for wolves, then he had gathered so much that she had a thing for him. And now…

“So when you want something different than the goddess, it’s difficult for you?” He asked carefully, not particularly wanting to come out and make her tell him that she didn’t want him anymore.

“No,” Her voice trembled, her whole body tense. “It’s harder to control when we want the same thing.” She slowly opened her eyes, and Derek had to hold in a gasp. They were blazing a brilliant purple, swirling with dark blue and almost hypnotizing. “All good things are wild and free.” she whispered again, the purple dimming for a moment. But then Derek slid his hands up her thighs to her waist, grinning when her heart beat picked up.

“Control is over rated,” he growled low in his throat. He didn’t know exactly what he expected her to do, but he never thought she could move so fast. Sadie’s hands were in his hair, her lips were warm and rough on his, her hips already rutting against his. Derek felt his wolf take over as he rolled on top of her, pinning her wrists over her head and sucking his way down her neck. She struggled under his hold, her whole body arching against him, looking for friction. Holding her wrists in one hand her pushed the other up beneath her night gown, running his thumb slowly across one of her hardened nipples before rolling it between his fingers.

“Oh God,” Sadie moaned, and he wanted to hear her do that over and over and over. Releasing her wrists her pulled her night gown over her head, tossing it away. He dipped his head, pulling her nipple into his mouth, his hand pushing her panties aside. Sadie was already rubbing against his palm, her eyes still glowing beneath hooded lids. He slid one finger inside her, his own eyes glowing as she begged. “Please Derek.” She grinned at him as if she could tell he was wrestling with his own inner demon. Her fingers gripped his hair and pulled his face up to hers. “Control is overrated.” Her whispered words sent him over the edge. Sitting back on his heels he yanked her panties off with one hand and his sweatpants off with the other. He was seeing red, his animal instincts taking over his human ones. He flipped Sadie onto her stomach, pulling her hips up until she supported herself on her knees.

Derek moaned as he pushed inside of her, she was so wet as she met his thrust. He slammed into her, over and over, her moans muffled by the pillows. He could tell she was close to coming when he pulled out, pushing her roughly onto her back. Finding her lips with his he kissed her roughly, biting at her lower lip and sucking her tongue into his mouth. He pushed into her again, those long legs wrapping around his waist and urging him faster and faster. Reaching one hand around to the small of her back he lifted her slightly, changing the angle.

“Fuck!” Sadie swore, her eyes squeezed shut as she threw her head back. He was close. He could feel it building through his entire body. In an instinctual show of dominance he bit her shoulder hard, barely registering Sadie’s scream of ecstasy as she came around him. He collapsed on top of her, sighing her name.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> XOXO - B


	29. She's Like Finally Coming Home

Sadie could almost feel her eyes turning back to blue as she laid beneath Derek. God knows she had never had sex like that before. Granted, she’d only ever done it with Ryan, but still. It was rough, primal, and hot as all hell. She liked it. A lot. Probably too much, but at the moment she didn’t give a shit.

“Sadie,” Derek murmured her name against her shoulder, sending ripples of pleasure over her skin. “Oh my God Sadie!” He sat up quickly, his eyes wide and apologetic. “I’m so sorry.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, then to the bite mark on her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have…” he kissed up her jaw. “That was…”

“Fucking hot.” Sadie supplied, wiggling her hips against his. Derek grinned for a moment, that heart stopping, panty dropping smile of his. But then he went serious again brushing her hair out of her face.

“That was not nice of me, we-I-you- I wanted to like make love to you our first time,” He whispered. Sadie bit her lip and ran her hands up his forearms and over his biceps to his muscular shoulders, and then down to the small of his back.

“Then maybe we should,” she pulled his hip down onto hers. “Do it again.” Derek grinned at her before pressing his lips to hers, his deft fingers already exploring her body. He began to kiss down her body, his lips and hands and teeth teasing and soothing her skin a the same time. He paused by her belly button, looking up at her through his dark lashes.

“You ready to see how many times I can make you scream my name?” his voice was low, sending chills rippling up her spine. _Lord have mercy._ And then his lips were moving south, and Sadie couldn’t think any more. There was just Derek. Derek.

 

\------------

 

Eight.

That’s how many times Derek made her come. And he would’ve kept going, if she hadn’t literally collapsed on his chest and fell asleep. And now Sadie was laying awake, watching him sleep, and a little afraid to try and get out of bed. But she really had to pee God dammit.Sighing slightly she rolled towards the edge of the bed and hesitantly sat up. She could see her reflection in her vanity mirror. There was only one way to describe herself: thoroughly fucked. Her hair had all but fallen out of the bun on top of her head, her cheeks were still flushed, and her neck and chest and hell her whole body was covered in hickey’s and love bites.

“Jesus Christ,” she grumbled, glancing over her shoulder at the softly snoring Derek. She was kind of annoyed that he didn’t have any marks on him. _Werewolf healing dumbass_. Getting annoyed with her own inner monologue she jumped off the bed, momentarily forgetting that she might have lost the ability to walk over night. “Ooof,” she stumbled slightly, before regaining her balance. As she wrapped her bathrobe around her, she decided that she was only pleasantly sore. And let’s be honest, last night was probably one of the best nights of her life. Probably the best. A shiver of desire ran through her at the thought, and when she glanced at herself in the mirror again, her eyes were bright purple.

Deciding to solve that problem _after_ she peed, Sadie padded to the bathroom. The sight of Derek’s bloodied t-shirt and the pink ring inside the tub brought reality crashing back down on her. The Celts were still out there. The Calaveras were after Scott. She had the powers of a goddess.

What was she going to do? How could she fix this? She wanted to take Stabler and go crash through the doors at Stewarts club, and drag every asshole she could lay her hands on out of there in mountain ash enforced cuffs. But she knew they had no evidence. And even if they arrested them, they’d escape police custody in no time. On top of all of that, she didn’t have nearly enough confidence in her ability to control herself to deal with this in front of Stabler. She was stuck.

Sadie was washing her hands when there was a loud knocking on her door. Frowning, she hurried out of the bathroom, only to run into Derek, barreling out of the bedroom as he tried to pull sweatpants on.

“Cool it,” she hissed, his eyes glowing blue and making her uneasy. Derek glared at her before growling lowly,

“It’s them, can’t you smell it?” Closing her eyes, Sadie took a deep breath, focusing her energy. They were Celts. There was three of them. Two with strong heartbeats, one weak.

“Just relax,” she said softly, knowing her eyes were purple by the way Derek was looking at her. “If they wanted to fight they wouldn’t have come at eight o'clock in the morning.”

Derek backed down, but still followed right on her heels as she headed towards the door. She peeked through the peep hole, concerned to see one man in a wheel chair. Without further thought she pulled the door open, preparing herself for anything.

“Sadie Sheldon?” one of the standing men asked. He was tall and thick, with bright blue eyes and long blond hair. He was vaguely familiar, and Sadie thought he might have been one of the wolves that attacked her at her grandparents. She nodded in agreement, her attention focused on the man in the wheelchair. He was probably in his forties, with thick reddish-brown hair and eyes that at one time probably sparkled blue. But now they were dull, as was the tone of his skin. He would’ve been handsome, devastatingly so, if not for the aura of sickliness surrounding him.

“Stewart,” she whispered, trying to force herself to remain calm. But she just knew it was him. She could feel it.

“Miss Sheldon,” his voice was soft, and he reached for her hand, gently kissing it. “May we come in?” Behind her Derek growled, and she could only imagine that he was visibly bristling. “Don’t worry Mr. Hale, I promise not cause any harm to your mate.” At this Sadie flushed, stepping back and allowing the three strangers into her apartment. She showed them to her living room, trying to figure out why Stewart smelled like the ocean. Between that and thinking about about the fact that he had just _assumed_ Derek was her mate… which was a big deal in the werewolf world, Sadie was slightly overwhelmed. 

“I’m just gonna put a pot of coffee on,” she announced. “Make yourselves at home.”

“I’ll do it,” Derek growled, cutting her off before she could make it into the kitchen. He pressed his lips roughly against hers, kissing her possessively. “I don’t like this.” He grumbled as he released her, but Sadie just smiled gently. For some reason, Stewart didn't make her nervous.

“So what brings you to my doorstep?” she asked, carefully lowering herself onto the couch and shifting her robe around her.

“Well Miss Sheldon,” Stewart leaned forward, looking like it took all the energy he had to look at her with serious eyes. “I need your help.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eww I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while! I actually had almost all of the chapters up to this point written out at once, so now that I actually have to write stuff, I'm moving kind of slow. But anyways, thank you for reading!
> 
> XOXO - B


	30. Are We Out of The Woods Yet?

"What makes you think that Sadie would do _anything_ for you after what you've put her through," Derek growled, stalking out of the kitchen and positioning himself protectively beside her. Stewart looked apologetic, letting out a soft sigh.

"I realize that my... People have handled this situation poorly. If you allow me to, I'd like to explain." He looked to Sadie for permission. Which was kind of strange. She was so used to authority being diverted to the men in her life (Scott, Derek, Stabler, her Dad), that it felt off to be in charge. But then again, Stewart knew what she was. And if she had to guess, he had some kind of respect for her power. Her eyes flickered between Stewart and his betas, standing stiffly behind his chair. Oddly, the goddess was curious about him, eager to hear his story. So Sadie simply nodded, finding Derek's hand and threading their fingers together. "Thank you." Stewart said simply, taking a deep breath. "As you may know, my name is William Stewart and I came here from Scotland. What you may not know is that I am not a werewolf." Sadie felt Derek tense beside her, inhaling the air deeply. "I am a selkie, which means that I am in human form on land, and a seal in the sea."

"I didn't think selkies were real," Derek murmured, his eyes flashing blue as he stared at Stewart.

"Says the werewolf," Stewart smirked slightly. "Unlike a werewolf, I can't just shift into a seal. I have a skin that I shed and keep, and I need it to go back into the water." He paused, lifting his head until his sad blue eyes bored into hers. "And that's where I need your help." Sadie’s brow furrowed, confusion flooding her. She didn't know where this was going. But Derek was rubbing soft circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, and it pushed her to go forward.

"I don't understand," she said quietly, holding his gaze.

"A selkie's powers are derived from the sea," he explained, resting his elbows on his knees. "In order to stay strong, healthy, beautiful even, we have to return to the ocean often. But I think I stayed away for too long, my skin won't... Accept me."

"And you want me to help you." Sadie supplied, finally feeling that things were starting to make since.

"Yes, I had heard that Artio's daughters had immigrated to California, so I brought my pack here last year, to try and find someone to help me. But I've been getting weaker and weaker, and my pack kind of... Panicked. Hence all the violence."

"Why should I help you?" Sadie asked, frowning. "You're like, a mobster." At this Stewart chuckled, only stopping when her eyes burned purple.

"You really are the real thing aren't you?" He asked breathlessly. "I've only ever heard about the daughters from the legends passed down through my family.” He was studying her, his eyes holding a mixture of respect, awe and maybe even fear.

“I’ve got a question, what’s a selkie doing with a pack of werewolves following him around?” Derek interrupted, his eyes narrowed on the two surly betas.

“Ah yes,” Stewart chuckled slightly, tenting his fingers in front of his face. “Let’s just say that, my pack’s previous alpha, met with an… unfortunate end…” he smirked, and Sadie felt a trickle of fear run down her spine. This guy might be intelligent, and handsome, but there was no doubt he was dangerous. “And while I am not a werewolf, I am a supernatural, and his power was transferred to me.” He grinned widely, revealing razor sharp teeth as his eyes burned red. “While I may not be as high and mighty as your _true alpha_ Scott McCall, I am a rare breed.” Derek was stiff beside Sadie, his hand almost painfully tight as it squeezed hers. Sadie had to wonder why his betas hadn’t taken advantage of his weakened state and killed him. But then again, she didn't understand the complexity of gangs mixed with packs.

“If I help you, will you leave Scott alone?” Sadie asked, watching Stewart carefully. He was making her uneasy, now that he’d shown his true colors.

“I’ll do you one better, if you help me, I’ll take my pack back to Scotland.”

\-----------

Sadie’s stomach was in knots as she drove to her parents house, the wind whipping around her car in response. Derek was glowering in the passenger seat, reaching to turn down the radio for the third time in the last five minutes. She rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to crank the music back up out of spite. They were heading to her dad’s, needing to gather as much information about selkies as they possibly could.

But Sadie wasn’t nervous about that. She wasn't nervous about Stewart and his gang, No. Instead, the idea of introducing her werewolf… thing (boyfriend? mate? boy toy? fuck buddy?) to her dad was making her sick. Add on the reaction she knew her mom would have (lot’s of blushing and wide eyes) when confronted with this devastatingly handsome man… This was going to be torture on a whole other level.

“Can you calm down,” Derek growled. “The wind is going to knock the car off the road.” Sadie glared at him, hating the fact that even grumpy as hell she wanted to jump his bones. “Come on princess.” His expression softened as he placed a warm hand over her tense one on the gear stick. “We’ll figure this out.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Sadie sighed, downshifting as she turned onto her parents street. Her parents house came into view, her mom kneeling in the flower beds along the driveway. “This is.” She pulled into the drive, already scowling as she climbed out of the car.

“Hey hun!” Her mom called, wiping sweat off her brow and leaving a smudge of dirt in its place. “What are you up….” she trailed off, her eyes growing wide as tall, dark and handsome climbed out of the car.

“Mom,” Sadie warned, stepping into her mother’s line of sight. “How about a hug?” Blinking and shaking her head, her mom pushed herself to her feet, wrapping her arms around Sadie.

“Who is _that_?” she whispered, causing Sadie to shake her head.

“I’m Derek,” Sadie could just tell by the tone of his voice that he was using his panty-dropping smile on her mother. “Sadie’s boyfriend.”

Her eyes widened as her mother gasped, apparently too distracted by Derek to yell at her for not being a good communicator.

“Hi,” her mom was attempting to sound sultry. “I’m Sadie’s mom...but you probably knew that!” she laughed and Sadie rolled her eyes. _So not sticking around for this._

“Is dad here?” she asked, stepping out of her mother’s grasp and taking the awkward hand flapping as a confirmation. Sadie strode towards the house, letting herself in the front door. “Dad?!” she yelled, peeking her head into the living room. “Oh great, it’s you.” She growled, playfully tossing a pillow at Levi’s head.

“It’s nice to see you too asshole,” her brother grumbled, throwing the pillow back and narrowly missing her head.

“Where’s dad jackass?” Sadie hissed, giving Levi a thumbs up when he pointed out towards the backyard. He flipped her off as she walked past him and out the sliding door, kicking his foot out and trying to trip her with an evil cackle.

Ignoring him, Sadie stepped outside, spotting her dad hunched over the lawn mower, wrenches and ratchets spread out around him.

“Hey dad,” she announced her presence, trying to keep her voice casual.

“Sadie!” he glanced up from his work, hands covered in dark grease and lawn mower clippings. “What’s goin’ on kid?”

“Ummm,” she hummed to herself, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her shorts. “I uh… need your help.” Something in the tone of her voice must’ve have alerted him, because he stood quickly, wiping his hands on the red rag that was stuffed in the back pocket of his jeans.

“Well come on then,” he urged, resting a calloused hand on her shoulder and pushing her gently towards the house. They slipped inside, both ignoring the questioning looks Levi was sending them. “Who the hell is that?” her dad growled as they passed one of the front windows, were her mom could clearly be seen showing Derek the different kinds of plants she had growing.

“That’s um… my… that’s Derek,” Sadie stuttered, taking the lead and hurrying down to the basement.

“Ah, the wolf,” she could feel her dad’s smirk on the back of her head. “I’m surprised you brought him here.”

“Yeah well,” Sadie glared at him as she flopped into one of the leather chairs. “He’s awful protective. Even though I can totally handle myself.” Her dad just raised his eyebrows at her, any hope of a reply being cut off by footsteps on the stairs and her mother's rambling.

“I think they are down here dear, yes Levi I heard you the first time, no tell me honey, how did you meet my Sadie?”

Sadie and her dad shared a look, neither at all impressed.

“We’re in here!” Sadie yelled, saving Derek from having to answer to her mom. Derek appeared in the doorway, a look of confusion crossing his face as his eyes found her dad.

“You… this is your dad?” he asked, eyes flickering between them.

“Um yeah,” she motioned across the desk. “Dad this is Derek-”

“Hale.” her dad supplied, standing up with a grin on his face. “You’ve grown a couple feet since the last time I saw you kid!” He reached across the desk, shaking Derek’s hands jovially.

“I can’t believe I didn’t put it together,” Derek mumbled, finally settling into the seat next to Sadie, his wide eyed gaze still fixed on her dad.

“You two know each other?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder and noticing that her mom had returned upstairs, closing the office door behind her.

“I was friends with Derek’s father,” her dad explained, smiling kindly at her. “Although I still don’t know how I feel about you dating a werewolf…” Sadie glared at him, so not in the mood for this.

“How did you not know that you knew my dad?” she instead directed a question at Derek, almost confusing herself with the words. Derek shrugged.

“I just knew your dad as Danny…” Sadie rolled her eyes, kind of hating how much of a bad mood she was in. But hey, it’s not every day that the man who’s been ruining your life show’s up on your doorstep!

“Ok. Whatever,” she turned to her father, who was giving her a disapproving glare. “Dad, I’m not in the mood right now.” she leaned forward, resting her elbows on his desk. “I need to know everything you got on selkies.” she pulled the journal he had given her out of her back pocket. “I couldn't find anything in here, but I was hoping maybe you had something?”

“Selkies huh?” her dad seemed unperturbed, pulling out his giant book and rifling through it. “I didn’t think California had a population… there are a few communities on the East Coast, but most stay in Scotland.”

“Yeah well, apparently word of Artio’s descendents living here has gotten out.” she grumbled, avoiding her dad’s sharp gaze.

‘What’s really going on Sadie?” he asked, his steely blue eyes burning into her. She shrugged, pulling her knees to her chest and toying with the hem of her jean shorts.

“It’s nothing.”

Derek huffed in frustration beside her, and she tried to silence him with a glare. But he had apparently decided he knew best, leaning forward to speak with her father.

“Stewart, the guy who we thought was an alpha, is actually a selkie, and he finally tracked Sadie down.” he paused, her dad’s full attention on him. “He wants her to help him get his skin back or whatever.”

And then they were both looking at her, as if they could decode her with their eyes.

“Come on, can we just figure this out so I can get it over with?” she hissed.

“I can tell you’re being rude because your nervous,” her dad said calmly, returning to his book. “But there’s no rule that you have to help this Stewart guy.”

“See!” Derek cut in, his warm fingers reaching to curl around her fidgeting ones. “You don’t have to do this.” Sadie shook her head, carefully staring at her knees. She could feel it now, building up inside her.

“I have to do this,” she murmured, “It’s the only way.” Both Derek and her Dad looked at her funny, their brows furrowing. Lifting her head, Sadie could feel her eyes burning purple, her vision blurred slightly with it. “I have to protect my pack. And that’s not just the kids. It’s everybody, you guys, Mom and Levi, Gram and Gramps. Stewart promised to leave.” She took a deep breath, a certain awareness thrumming through her body. “And I’ll make him sorry if he breaks that promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Again, I apologize for the slow updates, but I am going to try and do a chapter every couple of days... hopefully!
> 
> XOXO - B


	31. Till My Last Day, I'll Be Lovin' You

"Stewart? This is Sadie."

Derek's hands were clenched around the steering wheel of Sadie's car, skin taunt over his white knuckles. He did not like this one bit. They didn't need to be messing around with this magic shit. And Sadie certainly didn't need Stewart's personal cell phone number.

"I'm assuming you still have your skin..." Sadie was staring out the passenger window, nervously twisting a lock of hair around her finger. "Meet me at Rockaway Beach at nine tonight. Bring your skin." She dropped the phone into one of the cupholders, her painfully short fingernails drumming on the dashboard. Derek could hear her heart in her chest. It was faster than normal, but it had been since Stewart had shown up that morning. Sadie was running on pure adrenaline.

"You really don't have to do this." He said quietly, glancing over at her. She sighed and turned towards him, her eyebrows raised.

"As if you wouldn't do the same," she sighed again, pushing a hand through her hair. Derek nodded in acknowledgement, turning his attention back to the road. They were heading to his loft so he could pack clothes (he had half a mind to just force her to move in with him, or let him move in with her, but that was a battle for another day).

"Wanna make out princess?" He asked suddenly, letting one hand drop heavily on Sadie's thigh.

"Right now?" She was glaring, but she couldn't hide the way her pulse jumped. Derek smirked as he parked her car in front of his loft. He could smell his uncle's scent, and his wolf's instinct took over. He grabbed for Sadie, dragging her towards him and burying his face in her neck. Scenting her. "Derek." She sighed his name, her lips brushing his ear. He growled low in his throat, biting down on her shoulder. "How many hickeys you gonna give me?" She asked lightly, her eyes sparkling blue as she smiled.

"I don't trust my uncle," Derek admitted, kissing her gently. Sadie melted against him, this time when he pulled back her eyes were tinged with purple.

"So you're marking your territory?" She asked before mimicking him and pressing her face into his neck. "Maybe I need to mark mine." Her teeth sunk into his neck, hard enough to leave a bruise (if he could actually get those). Derek shuddered, instantly hard, his wolf keening inside him.

"Let's go inside," he panted, blindly reaching for the door handle. "I am so kicking Peter's ass out." Sadie giggled and hopped out of the car, the smell of arousal on her skin making it hard for Derek to concentrate. She was intoxicating. Not wanting to wait he grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder, running up the steps and yanking the door open. "Peter. Out." He mouthed at the exposed skin above the top of Sadie’s shorts, her squirming on his shoulder only increasing his need.

“Well, well, well…” Peter was settled on the couch, his right foot resting on his left knee, an ancient looking book open in his hands. “I was hoping I’d get to see the Goddess with my own eyes…”

“Get out.” Derek repeated, not even bothering to stop himself from shifting, baring his fangs at his uncle.

“Look at you nephew,” Peter was unfazed, pushing himself to his feet, and setting the book carefully on the coffee table. “Getting all worked up… I think the Goddess can protect herself just fine.”

Sadie patted him gently on the butt, signaling that she wanted to be put down. Derek obeyed immediately, gently setting her upright.

“I’m not the actual Goddess Peter,” Sadie remarked, her tone bored. “I’m a Daughter of Artio.” Peter’s lips lifted into a smile, delight obvious in his expression. He lived for this stuff.

“But you have the powers of the Goddess!” he countered, taking a slow step towards her. Derek growled, fighting the urge to place himself between Peter and Sadie. The man may be family, but he didn’t trust him. “Show me something.” But judging by the dirty look Sadie was giving Peter, her irritated sigh and her hands on her hips, she was not afraid.

“I’m not some circus freak that does stuff on demand.” she hissed. Derek smirked in approval. He wanted to get naked. Right now. Peter needed to go. But his uncle seemed to have other ideas.

“You let him mark you?” Peter observed, reaching out and sliding the collar of her t-shirt down. Derek tensed, not sure what made him more uncomfortable, the fact that Sadie didn't even flinch, or the way Peter was staring at him, his eyes glowing unnaturally blue. He settled on Peter, especially when he smirked and moved towards him, eyes still glowing as he brushed a hand over his neck. “I can see her mark on you boy…” Peter sneered, tracing over the spot that Sadie had bit just moments ago.

“Of course you can see it,” Sadie said, drawing both men’s attention to her. She smiled smugly, crossing her arms. “He’s mine.” Her eyes burned violet as she spoke the words. “And everybody needs to know it.” Derek couldn’t ignore the way his body reacted to her words, his first instinct was to kneel at her feet and worship her. It was weird, he was beginning to recognize the two different personalities that Sadie had now. There was the real her, the one he’d fallen for in the first place, and then there was the Goddess side, which was emotional and wild and daring. He lusted for them both.

Sadie walked towards him, slipping an arm around his waist and nuzzling her head into his chest. When she looked up at him again, her eyes had faded back to their stormy blue, her cheeks flushed and her smile shy. The real Sadie.

“As enjoyable and… informative as this has been,” Peter was still watching Sadie curiously, “I’m gonna head out.”

“About time.” Derek growled after his retreating back, circling his arms protectively around Sadie. “Now where were we?” He asked after the door had closed, looking down at Sadie. She grinned, her hands sliding up his chest and around the back of his neck.

“We were discovering how getting bit makes you horny…” she caught his bottom lip between her teeth, “Kinda weird werewolf kink don’t ya think?” Derek smirked against her mouth, slowly backing her towards his bed.

“You’re the one who has a kink for werewolves…” he murmured, satisfied when she huffed with annoyance.

“I do n-” he cut her protests off with a rough kiss, guiding her down onto the bed.

“I wanna make up for lost time princess,” he whispered, pulling her t-shirt over her head and throwing it across the room. “Oh my God.” He sat back on his heels, regret and guilt flooding his system. Her entire body was covering in little purple bruises and bite marks, her neck, her breasts, her stomach, even her arms. “I’m so sorry Sadie.” He pulled his hands away from her, afraid to hurt her even more.

“What is the matter with you?” she was frowning at him, reaching her still bandaged hand out towards him. She was injured. She was bruised. All because of him.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” he explain, staring down at the blankets between his knees. “You break too easily.”

“Oh for God’s sake.” she hissed. And then she was moving, one hand around his throat as she tackled him down onto the bed. Her left knee was resting over his crotch, putting just enough pressure that it wasn’t quite yet painful. Her hand tightened below his chin, forcing his face up towards her. “I can hurt you too babe.” She chuckled as she ducked her head, nibbling a trail up the column of his throat. “I’d tell you if I didn't like something…” her tone softened as her grip loosened, her entire body sinking slowly against him. “Haven’t you learned that staying away from me doesn’t keep me safe?” She was cuddling against him now, as Derek’s body was trying to catch up from being completely turned on to being a warm pillow for her. Which was difficult when all he could really think about was sex. “I need you with me.” She murmured sleepily, her heart beat finally slowing down for the first time in hours.

He didn’t respond, just rubbed his hand up and down her bare back, running his fingers along the band of her bra. She had it all wrong. He needed her. But he was willing to let her believe it, let her think she needed him. Because he knew now he couldn’t live without her.

 

\---------------

“I don’t like this.” Isaac was digging a hole in the sand with the toe of his boot, perched on a rock beside Derek.

“Join the club,” Derek grumbled, crushing a piece of driftwood in his hand. His eyes were fixed on Sadie, standing knee deep in the water, the rolling waves sometimes reaching her waist. The only light was provided by the full moon (which now that he thought about it, made everything kind of make sense). Sadie had one hand on Stewarts shoulder, the water almost reaching his chin in his wheelchair. The other hand was gripped around the seal skin, which looked like just a dark blob from Derek’s position. A small fire burned on the beach, where earlier Sadie had tossed herbs and sticks into it, the flames changing color as she chanted the spell her father had found. And now she was staring up at the moon, her eyes glowing a deep purple as she chanted lowly in Scottish Gaelic.

Derek had insisted on bringing another wolf with them, knowing that Stewart certainly wouldn’t come along. He would have preferred Scott, he was stronger and more rational than Isaac. But Sadie had a soft spot for Derek’s old beta, and she wouldn’t budge in her decision. She hadn’t told the teenager what they were doing, apparently she didn’t want Scott to know what was going on. It made Derek slightly uncomfortable, keeping the alpha in the dark, but Lord knows Scott had kept him out of the loop enough times. And the young man definitely wouldn't have wanted Sadie to do this (and he obviously wouldn’t have been alone in that feeling).

“I think we should call Scott.” Isaac proposed, starting a new trench in the sand. “He’d want to be here.”

“No,” Derek shook his head, never taking his eyes off Sadie. “Any interference now could be a disaster.”

“I don’t like them either,” Isaac glared towards the two betas that had accompanied Stewart. Derek had recognized one as the guy Sadie had made out with in the club. The other was blondie from this morning, who Derek guessed to be Stewart's right hand man.

“Just stop talking,” Derek ordered, ignoring the faces Isaac continued to make at him. He just wanted this to be over.

“Derek look!” Isaac nudged his arm, pointing towards Sadie. The ocean had calmed completely, even though the wind seemed to pick up around them. The water around Sadie and Stewart began to swirl, illuminating purple in the moon light. Stewart’s eyes fluttered closed, both his hands reaching for the seal skin that was floating towards him. Sadie’s chants were getting louder, her whole body starting to emit a purplish glow. Derek tensed, shifting forward off the rock. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Stewart’s men do the same thing, all four of the wolves radiating wariness.

“All good things are wild and free....” Sadie’s whispered English words floating on the wind drew Derek’s attention, and he watched with awe as Stewart pushed out of the wheelchair. Sadie continued to chant in Gaelic, and before their eyes Stewart and the skin seamlessly became one, the man melting into the form of a seal. The seal swam in a circle around Sadie, nudging at her legs and splashing.

The sound of Sadie’s laugh, her _real_ laugh, instantly relaxed Derek, and when she looked up at him from the water, her eyes had returned to normal. The wind had stopped blowing and the waves began crashing on the beach again. She ran her hand down the seal’s back and smiled down at it, and Derek wondered if she was communicating with it. Him. Whatever.

He walked down the beach, watching as Sadie waded back to shore, dragging the wheelchair with her.

“That was fun!” she exclaimed, reaching for the towel Derek had over his shoulder. Moving quickly, Derek wrapped it around her, not wanting anyone else to see her in the bikini top and swim shorts she was wearing. _Mine_. “I feel good!” He rolled his eyes, not at all excited about the idea of a repeat experience. But he could feel positive energy radiating from her, the soft breeze and the sound of the waves providing a downright calming atmosphere.

“That. Was. Awesome!!!” Isaac shouted, running down the sand and tackling Sadie in a hug. Derek growled at him, smirking when the younger man flinched back.

“I know right!” Sadie replied giddily, ignoring Derek’s glare and pulling Isaac back into her embrace. “Stop being such a grump Hale!” She teased, releasing Isaac and wrapping herself around him instead. “Can’t you feel it in the air? That’s nature being happy!” He shook his head, her infectious smile impossible to resist. He pressed a kiss to her lips, pleased that she deepened it, her body curving into his.

“Um…” Derek broke the kiss, glaring at Stewart’s betas that were standing awkwardly behind Sadie. “Sorry but… what exactly are we supposed to do?” Sadie shrugged, turning away from him to face the two wolves.

“Stewart didn’t discuss this with you?” she asked, wrapping the towel more securely around her. When the wolves shook their heads she sighed loudly. “My guess is that he’s gonna be out there quite a while. You could probably go get a change of clothes for him and then just wait till he comes back.” With another shrug she turned from them, slipping her hand through Derek’s and pulling him up the sandy beach.

“You’re not gonna wait with us?” the dark haired one asked, looking almost nervous. Sadie chuckled, the little smile on her face doing funny things to Derek’s insides.

“What are you? Scared?” she teased, shooting a wink at the pup over her shoulder, a little hop in her step. “Let’s go get ice cream!” She shouted, pumping her fist in the air when Isaac cheered. Derek kept up the show of scowling and shaking his head, but he was grinning underneath it all. Because he was in love with this crazy little goddess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eww I'm sorry for being so slow! Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> xoxo - B


	32. I Should've Worshipped Her Sooner

“Yo Sheldon!”

Sadie held up one finger, finishing typing with her right hand. She was in the middle of auditing the Beacon Hills Sheriff’s Department Fiscal Year Budget, and she was making very careful notes detailing how and where she tied the information out. The last thing she needed was to lose her train of thought.

“Sorry what?” she spun in her chair, looking up at her very excited partner, perched on the conference table.

“I got some bad news, and I got some good news.” He said, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. “Which one do you want first?”

“Bad, definitely bad.” Sadie smirked slightly. It was getting close to a week since she’d fixed Stewart, and she was feeling much more like herself. It was almost like the Goddess was at peace right now, giving her time to regroup and regenerate. The moodiness, the highs and lows, the irrationality were all gone for the moment, leaving Sadie to normal. Well, as normal as anyone in her situation could be.

“Alright, so get this,” Stabler leaned towards her, eyes wide. “All the bastards from the Celts that we locked up escaped.” Sadie forced herself to act surprised, gasping slightly. “I heard somebody say that the bars on the windows were tore right off, and that security cameras caught all of ‘em scaling the fence like it was nothing.”

“Really? What are they, superhuman or something?” Sadie faked naivety, trying not to smirk. She had been so close to suggesting they were werewolves… as a joke obviously. But that would be cutting it too close.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Stabler agreed, “These guys are freaky man, it just doesn’t make sense.”

“So what’s the good news?” she tried to redirect him, not wanting to go down that particular road.

“So, some of our guys went over to Stewart’s club to see if they could round the escapees up, and the place had been stripped!”

“What do you mean?”

“There was nothing left! Just a closed sign on the door, all the paperwork and shit gone from Stewart’s office. They even found a hidden room, only thing left in there was a giant tank of water and some chains connected to the floor.”

At this Sadie didn’t have to fake shock. Stewart must’ve made good on his promise and skipped town. She was just amazed at how quickly he moved out. He must have really missed Scotland… and the sea.

“And that’s good news?” she asked hesitantly, not sure if she should show her relief.

“Hell yeah it is!” Cho piped up from his desk, looking at them over his computer screen. “Now we don’t have to worry about you getting kidnapped and charging off to rescue your boyfriend and shit.” He laughed, looking pleased at Stabler’s huff of annoyance.

“Yeah, I’m glad you’re done with that guy.”

“Oh we got back together,” Sadie smirked, hastily turning back to her computer. “Don’t worry, no more drama.”

“For the love of God, please tell me you finally did a background check on the dude!” Stabler hopped off the table and stalked back to his own desk, flopping into the chair. “No, you know what? I’m doing one now.”

“Do you really need to?” Sadie tried to protest, not exactly sure she wanted to know. Scott had told her that Derek had had some trouble with the law when he first came back to town. He’d been cleared of all charges, but they had been pretty serious ones.

“Oh I’m doin’ it, you can’t stop me woman!” Stabler hissed, typing furiously on his keyboard. Sadie narrowed her eyes as he leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers together as he waited for the report to run. “Let’s see what we got on Mr. Hale…” He cackled, leaning forward again. His smirk was replaced by a frown. “Huh. That’s weird, his record’s been wiped clean.”

Sadie pretended to be engrossed in her auditing work, but she could feel his gaze on her. “You better not have wiped his record there girlfriend.” Sadie gave him a hurt look, eyebrows furrowing as she prepared to argue.

“She didn’t.” They both whipped around in their chairs to find Sheriff Stilinski watching them, standing in the doorway just behind Agent McCall. “I wiped it last year. He was cleared of all charges.” Stabler was gaping in shock, his mouth moving but no words coming out. Sadie sent the tiniest of smiles to the Sheriff, who winked in return.

“Sheldon, the Sheriff and I have someone we’d like you to speak with.” McCall was ignoring Stabler, his eyes focused seriously on Sadie.

“Oh…” she instantly began to feel nervous, her hands getting clammy as she grabbed a notebook and pen and stood up. “Ok. Um. Where to?”

“Sheriff’s office.” McCall answered in his usual pointed fashion, turning on his heel and heading out of the squad room.

“Don’t get all nervous on me kid,” the Sheriff said kindly, falling into step beside her as they walked through the maze of deputies’ desk. Sadie just smiled slightly, her brain already jumping to the millions of possible outcomes. Johnson raised his eyebrows when they passed his desk, and she shrugged slightly, answering his silent question.

The blinds were closed on the Sheriff’s office, blocking anyone from seeing what was going on inside. It made her antsy, she wanted to visualize who she was talking to. McCall pushed open the door, motioning Sadie inside.

There was a woman in Stilinski’s office, her back to them as she stared out the window. She was dressed to kill, in a black pencil skirt, power heels and a stiff white button down, topped off with a black blazer. Her hair was pulled back tight into a bun on the back of her head, not a strand out of place. Sadie instantly felt underdressed in her khaki slacks and sleeveless blouse. But she couldn’t focus on that. Her senses were tingling, her veins thrumming with awareness. This woman was not human.

“Agent Sheldon,” her voice was clipped, careful as she turned towards them, her deep brown eyes focused completely on Sadie.

“Yes?” Sadie answered shakily, frowning when she realized that the Sheriff and McCall had not entered the room with her. This was shady as all hell.

“Please, sit.” The woman motioned towards one of the chairs, her expression friendlier than Sadie expected. She looked to be of middle eastern descent, her features dark and her skin smooth with olive undertones. Sadie had no doubts that she could kick her ass. “I’m Agent Sharma, with Sector S of the FBI.”

“I’ve never heard of Sector S,” Sadie said quietly, settling nervously onto the edge of her chair.

“No one’s heard of it.” Agent Sharma smirked, leaning against the Sheriff’s desk. “That’s the point.”

“So why tell me?”

Agent Sharma regarded her carefully for a few moments, her lips curling up to reveal fangs after a moment. Her eyes were glowing a yellow-green that Sadie hadn’t seen before, the skin on her face becoming speckled. Sadie tensed in her chair, trying to focus her senses and figure out of she was in any danger.  “All good things are wild and free.” she whispered to herself, relieved to feel the Goddess’s awareness.

“Relax Sheldon,” Agent Sharma chuckled, her face returning to normal. “I just wanted to see how you’d react… You can change your eyes back now.” Blinking, Sadie forced herself to relax, confident that she wasn’t flashing purple at anybody anymore. “Sector S is a division specifically focused on the supernatural.” Sharma continued, arms folded loosely across her chest. “Almost all the agents are some sort of creature. I’m a werehyena. I was bitten as a teenager when I visited the Sudan on a community service trip… We’ve monitored Beacon Hills for years. Previous generations of agents had a very close relationship with the Hale family, who served as protectors of Beacon Hills. With the tragic end to the Hale Pack, the sector had lost contact with anyone here, and things kind of spiraled out of control. But we’ve noticed the true alpha. And we’ve noticed you.”

Sadie took a deep breath, weighing her options carefully. She wasn’t even sure if she had an option.

“Um… so why are you here?” she asked finally, fingers unconsciously tracing a triskele pattern on her thighs.

“Right now, we just want you to know we exist. We have facilities that will actually hold the supernatural, and we have the means to neutralize any threats.”

“Ok…”

“In the future, depending on how well you do with McCall’s team, we may speak again regarding your future in Sector S.” Agent Sharma finished with another smirk, pushing herself up away from the desk.

“So that’s it?” Sadie blinked a few times, unsure of what purpose this little meeting had served exactly. “Am I like sworn to secrecy or something?”

“You can tell your mate,” Sharma allowed, looking as if she found amusement in Sadie’s fingers immediately going to the faint (make-up covered) bruise on her neck. “And your alpha. But that’s it.”

“How do I contact you? If I need help?” Sadie pushed on, trying not to get too sidetracked on the fact that everybody seemed to think she had a mate.

“Here.” Sharma handed her a business card. “When you call that number, you must ask for Steve Rogers-”

“Captain America? Really?”

“Yes. If you ask for me, or any other agent, you will be redirected to a call center in India. Protocol.” Sharma did not seem at all as amused by the Captain America thing as Sadie was. And the werehyena was leaving, her hand on the door knob, not even glancing back at Sadie.

“That’s it? That’s everything?” Agent Sharma paused, glancing over her shoulder at Sadie.

“That’s it.” She opened the door. “Thanks for your time Agent Sheldon.” She was making a show of saying goodbye, leaving Sadie to stare after her in shock. What even is my life?

“You all good Sadie?” the Sheriff stepped into her line of sight, looking concerned. Sadie forced a nod, pulling her focus back.

“Yeah I’m good. Just some HR stuff with my hire.” she was surprised how easily the lies fell from her lips, and for once someone actually seemed to believe. “Thanks for your office Sheriff.” She stood, faking a cheerful smile.

“Anytime.”

Sadie power walked through the station, in no mood to discuss her meeting any time soon. She glanced at the time, sighing in relief when she realized i was five o’clock. She could go home, decompress by herself, and pig out on chinese food. And think. Just think.

 

\-------

Sadie had groaned when she pulled into her apartment parking lot and had seen all the kids’ cars there. ALL OF THEM. So much for relaxing. Throwing her bag over her shoulder she trudged up the steps, hesitating when she began to pick up on tense vibes. _What now?_ And then she smelled it. It was almost like she was actually back on the beach, the salty breeze ruffling her hair. _Awesome. Fucking Awesome_. Sighing loudly, Sadie let herself into her apartment.

Lydia, Stiles, and Malia were all on the couch, expressions ranging from awe to fear to anger. Isaac occupied the arm chair, his eyes glowing yellow. Kira stood awkwardly against the opposite wall, eyes wide. Scott stood protectively in front of all of them, arms held stiffly away from his body, eyes bright red. And in the middle of it all, was the one and only William Stewart.

“Ms. Sheldon!” He smiled brightly towards her. “I’m glad you’re here! Your little pack has been quite intimidating.”

“Stewart.” Sadie dropped her bag onto the floor, closing the door behind her. “What are you doing here? Actually, what are all of you doing here?” Not waiting for an answer, she made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. After the day she had, she totally deserved one.

“I can’t answer for them,” Stewart winked at Scott. “But I came by to say farewell. I’m heading back to Scotland.”

“I heard,” Sadie leaned against the counter, noticing that her relaxed demeanor was having a calming effect on the kids. She wasn’t afraid of Stewart. “My partner is all worked up about how your guys escaped prison and your club was stripped.”

“Where is Mr. Hale?” Sadie blushed, her face hot.

“My FBI partner.” she corrected him, glaring at the snickering Isaac. “You’re looking much better.” She tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. And Stewart certainly looked better. He looked good. Real good. And judging by the expressions of all three young ladies in the room (not to mention Stiles), she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. He looked younger now, more like early thirties than late forties. His hair seemed thicker, redder and was devilishly messy. His eyes sparkled blue and he was sporting reddish stubble that would give Derek a run for his money. He exuded power and sexuality. And lord did he know it.

“All thanks to you,” he smiled warmly at her, and Sadie knew if Derek was here he’d be bristling. “I will forever be indebted to you.” He continued, reaching into his pocket. “I wanted to give you this. As a symbol of my gratitude.” He held a little cardboard box in his hand, the kind you’d get from a boutique jewelry store. Sadie stepped closer and took the box from Stewart, the gazes of her pack heavy. Nestled inside was a little white scallop shell, hanging from a delicate gold chain.

“Th-thanks,” she whispered hesitantly, lifting it from the tissue paper. On closer inspection, she noticed a solar cross carved into the underside of the shell.

“Should you ever decide to visit our homeland,” Stewart continued, reaching out and rubbing his thumb across the shell. “You will be never be harmed if you are wearing this necklace.”

“How would anyone know it was special?” she asked, placing it around her neck. Derek was gonna be pissed. So pissed.

“Oh. They’ll know.” Stewart smirked, motioning towards Scott. “Tell her McCall.” Sadie frowned as Scott’s still red eyes focused on the shell, his mouth dropping in surprise.

“Wow. You can actually see it. The cross, I mean.” Sadie looked down at her chest, forcing her eyes to turn purple and focus on the shell. It was weird, the solar cross did indeed glow (purple in her case, but she figured it depended on the color of your eyes).

“Well thanks again Ms. Sheldon.” Stewart brought her attention back to him, his smile wide. “Give my regards to Mr. Hale.” He turned towards the door, moving through the room with fluid strides. His hand grabbed the door knob, and he paused, turning to look at Sadie over his shoulder. “And Ms. Sheldon.” He bit his lip, eyes slowly traveling up her body. “Just know, that if you didn’t already have a mate… there would be nothing stopping me from bringing you back to Scotland with me.”

And then he was gone.

Sadie stared at the door, not sure if she was scared or turned on. Possibly, no, definitely both.

“Since when do you have a mate?” Stiles asked from the couch, leaning forward onto his elbows.

“Out of everything that just happened, that’s the first question you asked?” Sadie rolled her eyes and chugged down the rest of her beer. “Why are you people in my house right now anyways?”

“Are you serious?” Malia apparently decided to ignore Sadie, and question Stiles herself. “You can’t see it?”

“I’m pretty sure we all knew from day one.” Isaac added with his usual smirk.

“And now they’ve got the marks…” Scott rubbed absently at his neck.

“I still don’t know who you’re talking about.” Stiles stated plainly. Sadie narrowed her eyes. The kid was not dumb. He was in fact quite the opposite. She had a feeling he just wanted to make her come out and say it. Fortunately, she was saved by the door opening, and Derek striding in.

“Hey,” He murmured, ignoring the teens and pulling her tightly against him, his face buried in her neck.

“Oh.” Sadie could hear Stiles, her focus fading as Derek’s teeth scraped her ear lobe. “OH.”

“What’s this necklace?” Derek growled, his whole body instantly stilling. “I don’t like it.”

The entire apartment was dead silent. Without looking, Sadie knew that every gaze was focused on her.

“Stewart gave it for me.” she replied nonchalantly, shrugging one shoulder. “As a thank you. And for protection. In Scotland. Or something.” Sadie raised an eyebrow when Derek stepped back from her, his eyes narrowed on the necklace.

“He wants you.” He stated, vulnerability showing only in his eyes. “He even told me so outside.” Sadie sighed and rolled her eyes. All she had wanted to do tonight was chill out and eat junk food. Not deal with all this craziness.

“What can I say? I’m the It Girl in this hell hole.” She turned away from him, grabbing another can of beer out of the fridge. Derek just stared at her, kind of starting to look like a lost puppy. Sighing again she undid the necklace, placing it gently on the table. Derek still didn't look convinced, and the silence of the teens wasn't helping anything either. “Jesus Hale, do you need me to make a public proclamation of my love? Stop looking at me like that!” Sadie hissed, pushing past him and stomping towards her bedroom. She paused in the doorway, turning a withering glare on her pack. “I’m just changing my clothes. Don’t everybody freak out on me and think I’m running away.”

She knew Derek was going to follow her. But that didn’t stop her from yanking her shirt over head and throwing it in the corner, and pushing her pants down over hips. When Derek slipped into her bedroom, she was braced against her desk, taking deep breaths. It was hard, trying to control her amplified emotions. She didn’t want to be a bitch. She hated it in fact. So when Derek’s warm hands brushed her skin, she leaned into him, breathing in his scent.

“Listen Derek,” She slid curled her fingers around the back of his neck. “I don’t want to be with Stewart. He is powerful and attractive, yes. But he doesn’t make my brain stop working and my heart beat faster and my insides melt. He doesn’t make me smile or laugh. He doesn’t make me feel safe. He doesn’t drive me crazy. He isn’t you.”

By now Derek was smiling, and when she paused he kissed her. Rough. Needy. His hands cupping her ass and pulling her closer to him.

“Good.” His voice vibrated against her ear, making her neck prickle. “Cause you’re mine.” And Sadie was going to let him think that. Let him believe that she belonged to him, that he had chosen her. When in reality, she owned him. 


	33. A Fresh Poison Each Week

Derek sat on the edge off Sadie’s bed, watching as she pulled on yoga pants and a ratty tank top. It was clear that she was having trouble dealing with her emotions, it was wearing on her.

“What are all the shit heads doing here anyways?” He asked, chuckling at the sound of Scott and Isaac’s scoffing in response from the living room.

“I don’t know.” Sadie grumbled, twisting her hair into a knot on top of her head. “They were too transfixed on the fact that we are mates or whatever to answer that question for me. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“It’s romantic princess,” Derek held his hands out towards her, pulling her into his lap. “Teenagers love the idea of romance and forevers and shit....” He pressed a kiss to her temple, breathing in the calming scent of her skin. “And it’s a pretty big deal for werewolves.”

It was weird to think that Iess than two months ago they had sat in the same place, with Sadie scared to death and grappling with the idea of werewolves. And now… now she had become the matriarch of their pack, and the love of Derek’s life.

“You’re a pretty big deal to me.” she whispered into his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around him. Derek could feel her smile through his shirt as she laughed. “I mean, you’re _way_ out of my league… I’m just hoping you never figure that out.” He nuzzled at her ear until she turned her face up towards him, meeting his kiss with parted lips.

“Do you think they’ll leave if we just stay in here?” Derek asked, pushing his hands beneath her shirt so he could feel her skin.

“I heard that!” Isaac yelled from the living room, causing Sadie to smile against Derek’s lips.

“Come on Der,” she said softly, detangling herself from his grasp and tugging on his hand. “Let’s go take care of the kids.” Derek sighed, but allowed her to pull him up, following her out to the living room. Lord knows he would follow her anywhere.

“Is someone going to finally explain to me why instead of relaxing in a bubble bath I have a living room full of teenagers?” Sadie asked, standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed. With a smirk, Derek dropped onto the loveseat, eyes trained on her. She was fascinating to watch, the way she sounded annoyed but he could feel the love and affection radiating from her.

“Maybe we just missed you miss grumpy pants.” Lydia scoffed, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger. Sadie glared for a second before crossing the floor and curling up beside Derek. He wrapped an arm around her, both of them staring at Scott. Waiting.

Per usual, it took Scott a few moments to realize that everyone was waiting on him. Derek had to work extra hard to hide his smile in reaction to the alpha’s goofy look of awareness (Sadie’s presence had made being grouchy an awful lot harder).

“Oh! Right um…” Scott perched on the arm of the chair Isaac was slouched in, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. “Mr. Argent has been speaking to Araya Calavera… trying to sort things out… and she’s requested a meeting.” Derek raised a brow when Scott paused, looking at Sadie expectantly. _Oh hell no._

“Ok?”

“And uh, she’s requested that you come with me.”

“Me?” Sadie was frowning, the muscles in her back tensing. “Why?”

“She is fascinated by people with supernatural powers,” Lydia offered, crossing her legs primly. “She’s been trying to get her hands on me for some time now.”

“Well that’s never happening,” Sadie’s whisper was so quiet, that Derek wasn't sure anyone but himself had heard her. “When’s she want to meet?”

“Oh hold on a minute.” Derek growled, shifting slightly so he could see Sadie’s face. “I don’t know about this.” She glared at him, her eyes blue and hard and slightly terrifying. “You know, you have really pretty eyes when you’re not using them to shoot daggers at me…” The comments slipped out before he could stop it, causing the teens to shift uncomfortably and Sadie’s lips to twitch in the corners.

“Well what do you suggest?” Derek was playing with fire. He realized that.

“That I go in your place.”

“Cause you have such a great track record with the Calaveras dumbass,” Stiles scoffed from his seat between Malia and Lydia. “They’ve kidnapped you and tried to kill you on several occasions.” Derek sighed, leveling an icy glare in Stiles’ direction.

“Do you have any better ideas Sherlock?”

“Um I dunno, probably letting the actual Daughter of Artio go and take care of business like she usually does?” Stiles was gesturing wildly as he spoke. “Remember how she literally saved every single one of our asses last Friday? And then apparently went on to do something for a frickin’ mobster the next day? And also became your official _mate_ somewhere along the way?”

“She saved Stewart’s life actually. Last Saturday. I mean.” Isaac added, shrinking back slightly when Derek turned his glare on him.

“Well it’s really up to Sadie anyway.” Scott said diplomatically. Derek rolled his eyes. The hell with diplomacy.

“There’s no need for Sadie to be putting her ass on the line for us all every other minute.” He growled, refusing to look at her and feel her glare.

“Excuse me!” she hissed. “You would all do the same thing, especially you ya big hypocrite! So butt out!” She sighed, cracking the knuckles in her thumbs. “Will Chris be with us?”

“Yeah,” Scott nodded. “He mentioned something about your dad as well.”

“See, we’ll be fine babe.” Sadie was patting Derek’s arm comfortingly, even as sounds of disgust came from the direction of the couch.

“Did you really just call him babe?” Stiles’ nose was scrunched. “That is just wrong.”

“Maybe I’ll start calling you babe?” Malis interjected cheerfully, bouncing slightly on the couch cushions.

“Aww thanks,” Stiles kissed her cheek, and Derek rolled his eyes. The kid was out of control.

“I still don’t like it.”

“If Chris, my dad and Scott can’t keep me safe, then we’re in way deeper shit than we think.” Sadie murmured, giving Derek that _look_ that told him she had enough of his shit.

“Yeah but-”

“Der, seriously. I can tell that woman is no-nonsense. The last thing we need is her trying to kill you in order to get to me and Scott.” As usual, Sadie had a rational response. “I’m going. It will be fine. And then we’ll all have a party after to celebrate.”

“We can’t celebrate if you’re dead.” Isaac grumbled.

“Again with the negativity dude!” Stiles groaned, leaning back on the couch and covering his face with his hands. Derek glared at Isaac, alarmed that he would say such a thing.

“What?” Isaac raised a brow at him. “It’s what you would’ve said.” Derek sighed in defeat. His former beta was right about that. The words had been on the tip of his tongue.

“Lydia’s planning the party,” Sadie stated simply, winking at her cousin.

“Do you people realize that I have skills unrelated to party planning?” Lydia whined, sending a withering glare towards Sadie. Derek forced himself not to smirk, keeping the grumpy expression in place.

“Would you trust any of us with it?” Sadie didn’t wait for an answer, instead turning towards Scott. “When is this meeting?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Great.” She pushed up off the couch, Derek instantly feeling cold without her. “As much as I love you all, I’m kicking you out.” Lydia, Stiles and Isaac all looked as if they might protest Sadie’s order, but Scott moved immediately towards the door.

“Thanks Sadie, I’ll call you tomorrow.” The rest of the pack followed him begrudgingly out the door, Derek finally allowing himself to smile at the muffled complaining that followed the teens.

“What makes you think you’re allowed to stay?” Sadie challenged, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. Derek bit his lip, letting his gaze travel slowly up from her toes to her eyes.

“I’ll leave…” he suggested, placing his hands on either side of his legs and slowly pushing himself up. As he had predicted, Sadie didn’t let him move too far.

“I don’t think so mister.” her voice was lower than usual as she pushed him back down onto the couch, her knees on either side of his thighs. “I have other plans for you.” Derek’s wolf lifted it’s head as heat slowly began building in the pit of his stomach.

“Oh really?” he lifted his hands to her waist, pulling her closer. Sadie just grinned, a blush covering her cheeks as she leaned closer. Her lips were gentle at first, moving impossibly slow against his. But Derek needed more, and as he slid his hands down the back of her pants, squeezing her ass, Sadie let out a moan that had his eyes flashing blue.

And then suddenly she stopped, giggling as she rested her head on his shoulders.

“As much as I want to do bad things with you right now…” she pressed a kiss into his neck. “There’s something I want more…”

“What’s that princess?” Derek asked, running his fingers up and down her back. He would do anything she asked of him. Anything.

“Stuff my face with chinese food?”

Derek hadn’t been expecting that. He was silent a beat, not sure how to react. But then Sadie started to giggle, and he let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back and wrapping his arms tightly around her.

“You never cease to amaze me,” he admitted, looking up at her through his laughter induced tears. “I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in years.” He was surprised to feel Sadie’s hands on his cheeks, her thumbs wiping away the dampness as she smiled softly.

“You should always be laughing.”

And Derek remembered, what seemed like centuries ago, the first time he saw Sadie Sheldon. How she’d made him laugh that very first day, and how he’d spoken almost the same words to her. _You should always be smiling._

It was too soon. They hadn’t even been really dating for a full week yet. But he had to tell her. With the kind of dangers she faced (and put her self in) every day, he couldn’t bear to _not_ tell her. So he took a deep breath and stared deep into those blue-gray eyes that had mesmerized him from day one. And he spoke those three little words.

“I love you.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> XOXO - B


	34. My Church Offers No Absolutes

“I love you.”

Sadie blinked, her heart rate picking up speed by the second. To buy herself time, she kissed him, his lips warm and soft and familiar.

It had taken Ryan almost a year to tell her he loved her. She had jumped the gun and told him after three months, mistakenly thinking it had been long enough. And she did love Ryan. She always would.

But here Derek was, telling her he loved her after knowing her for less than two months and dating her less than a week. He wasn’t under duress, they weren’t dying, and they hadn’t just had sex. In fact, she had just embarrassingly told him that she preferred to stuff her face over making out with him. And he loved her.

She knew Derek didn’t take things like this lightly. When she was getting tattooed, Scott had shared Derek’s backstory with her, starting with why his eyes turned blue instead of yellow, spending a lot of time on Kate Argent and the death of Derek’s family, and ending with Jennifer Blake. The guy had been screwed over by love more times than was fair.  

And Sadie wanted to show him that he was worthy. That he deserved love and tenderness and a future. She wanted to protect him from the world. She wanted to have his children and grow old with him. She loved him.

“Was that too soon?” Derek asked cautiously against her lips, his hands warm against her back.

“I love you too,” Sadie whispered, giggling when his arms instantly tightened around her, pulling her closer for another, rougher, needier kiss.

“How about this?” Derek’s breath was warm against her lips as she leaned her forehead against his. “You order the food, and I’ll take a shower, and then we can watch shitty TV and talk about how disgustingly cute we are?”  Sadie smirked in response, kissing his nose lightly before clambering (rather ungracefully) off of his lap.

“Sounds like a plan,” She scrambled to her feet and headed towards the kitchen, searching through her junk draw for a take-out menu. Of course, she was heavily distracted when Derek stood (much more gracefully than she could ever hope to be) and peeled his shirt off, tossing it over his shoulder and sauntering towards the bathroom. _Damn him_. She fumbled for her phone, hurriedly dialing the restaurant. Derek left the bathroom door cracked, giving her just a sliver to watch him drop his pants and underwear to the ground.

“Dragon Palace, pick-up or delivery?” Sadie shook her head, trying to focus on ordering food, not the tantalizing view in front of her.

“Hi um… delivery. I’d um…” _Focus woman. Focus_. “Um. An order of Crab Rangoons, a large spicy chicken, a large moo shu chicken and an order of pork fried rice.” She barely listened as they repeated back her order, mumbling her address and hanging up probably too soon. But she didn’t care. Dropping her phone on the counter she half ran towards the bathroom, stripping entirely before she even made it to the door. Derek could undoubtedly hear her racing heart, and smell her arousal, but she still nudged the door open quietly, slipping into the shower with him without a sound.

Sadie slid her hands around from his sides to his abs, pulling herself flush against him and pushing her fingers up towards his chest. She kissed the tattoo between his sculpted shoulders, stilling when his large hands covered hers.

“I thought you were more concerned with eating than me?” Derek chuckled while turning to face her, the spray of the shower momentarily warm on her face.

“Yeah well…” Sadie draped her arms over his shoulders, taking the time to admire his impressive physique (which the water only seemed to improve). “Maybe I want both.” Derek grinned, his fingers caressing her nipples as he dropped his lips to her shoulder. She shivered as he mouthed up her neck, arching towards him as his fingers continued to tease her. God how she wanted him.

He dropped to his knees in front of her, warm water suddenly hitting her chest. Derek pushed her back against the wall with one hand, the other pushing her legs apart.  Sadie leaned heavily into the wall, her head tilted back and eyes closed. He wasn’t even touching her _down there_ yet and she was quivering with anticipation, her eyes most likely half purple by now.

“Look at me.” Derek’s command was soft, but she responded instantly. He was watching her from beneath his lashes, his pupils so dilated his eyes almost looked black. His left hand was curled around the back of her thigh, with Sadie leaning into the pressure. “You’re my princess, love,” he murmured, lifting his right hand to her other thigh. “And I’m gonna worship you.” And then he pressed his mouth against her, his tongue flicking against her clit, all while staring up at her with those eyes.

Sadie moaned, slipping her fingers into his hair and anchoring him to her, the other hand twisting her own nipple.

“Fuck Der-” she cried, tilting her head back and squeezing her eyes shut.

“Lemme see those pretty eyes baby,” Derek’s growled, sliding one finger inside of her. Sadie whimpered, forcing her eyes open, her vision tinged with violet. Her thighs were squeezing together on their own accord, but he pried them open, his strength making it impossible for her to close them. “You’re gonna come fast for me aren’t ya princess?” The vibration of Derek’s voice against her only intensified the sensations and Sadie only whimpered in response. She clutched at the handrail on the shower wall, looking for anything to keep her weak knees from collapsing. But soon his tongue and his fingers moving inside her pushed any thoughts from her head, and all she could do was stare into his eyes and moan.

It was Derek’s hum of approval that pushed her over the edge, combined with the way he was looking at her beneath hooded lids. Sadie screamed his name as feeling washed over her, her legs finally giving out as she slid down the wall into Derek’s waiting arms. He kissed her lazily, under the spray of the shower with the taste of her on his tongue. But Sadie didn’t care. At the moment she was sated and happy.

“You’re the sexiest fucking girl I’ve ever seen,” he murmured, pushing her wet hair back. Sadie smiled hazily, blinking a couple of times as her brain started to work again. And boy did it launch into over time. Triple over time. How many girls had Derek _seen_? Had he _seen_ Braeden? How much had he done with her? When he tried to distract himself? Was she just gonna let that go?

 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

 

“Foods here.” she whispered, pushing herself off the bottom of the tub and climbing out. Derek was watching her curiously, his eyes wary as she wrapped a towel around herself and hurried out of the bathroom.

“Hi!” The delivery guy gave her a weird look when she threw open the door. “Sorry, I was in the shower.”

“Err ok…” He handed her the bag of food in exchange for the wad of cash she was forcing towards him. He couldn’t have been more than seventeen, and the way his cheeks were turning red led Sadie to believe he may have thought he had walked into a porno.

“Keep the change.” Sadie winked at him, giving him just enough fuel for a couple more sexual fantasies before she shut the door in his face.

“Maybe you should’ve invited him in,” Derek dead panned from the kitchen where he was filling glasses of water. She glared at him, trying not to notice that he had decided to dress himself in sweatpants. Just sweatpants. No underwear. Good God.

Sadie dropped the food onto the coffee table and stomped back into her room, closing the door behind her. She was no longer in the mood for Derek. Well that wasn’t true. She was always in the mood for Derek. She really was in love with him. But right now, she was unhappy with being another notch in the bedpost.

“Sadie,” his voice came from the other side of the door. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” she replied out of habit, pulling on the ugliest underwear and bra she could find, and topping them off with baggy sweatpants and a giant sorority sweatshirt. “Actually, you know what?” she pulled the door open to find Derek had settled onto the floor between the couch and the coffee table, chopsticks in hand. “We’re gonna have a little chat.” What looked like fear flickered across his face before it was replaced with a blank stare. Oh yeah. This was gonna be fun.

“I don’t think I did anything wrong.” He replied calmly, eyes following her every move as she dropped to the floor beside him.

“How many girls have you been with?” she asked nonchalantly, pulling the box of spicy chicken out of the bag and popping it open.

“Is this a trick question?” Derek asked, following her actions and opening the moo shu chicken.

“No. I just want to know.”

“Do you want to talk about how many guys you’ve been with?” He shot back, eyebrows raised as he lifted a piece of chicken to his mouth.

“Sure.” Sadie shrugged. If the man wanted to dance, she would dance. “You’ve met him.” The werewolves eyes widened marginally, and Sadie could tell he was starting to get nervous.

“Only one?”

“Oh, well I mean, I’ve kissed three guys… and Hannah at a party one time, if you want to get technical.” she shoveled some food into her mouth, gazing at Derek smugly. He better feel guilty now.

“Umm,” he hummed, twirling the chopsticks between his fingers. “I’ve slept with six, including you.” He kept his eyes focused on the table. Six. Six. That wasn’t _that_ bad. She knew that one was his first love, one was Kate Argent, and one was the English teacher turned psychopath that Isaac had also had a crush on. So that left two. And if Braeden was one of them… she didn’t know if she could do this.

“Was Braeden one of them?” Sadie hated the way her voice cracked halfway, hated how her hands were starting to shake and how her vision was blurring with purple. But she couldn’t not ask. Not knowing would eat her from the inside.

“Are you really asking me that?” Derek looked almost hurt when he finally met her gaze, but his words made her flinch. If he didn't want to answer then it must be true. It had to be. She felt tears forming behind her eyes, her throat tightening painfully. No. No. No. Turning her attention to her food, she forced some down, hoping Derek wouldn't notice her distress, but knowing he would. “Hey,” he gently pried the container from her hands, followed by her chopsticks. “Why are you assuming the worst? Why does it even matter? I love you.”

“It matters!” her voice was climbing up an octave as she slapped her hands on the floor. “It matters because I didn’t sleep with anyone, because I wanted _you_. And it hurts me that you claim to have wanted me all along, but then you’re fucking other girls because you needed a distraction!” The tears were falling hard and fast now, running down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. “And-and I read in the daughters journal that usually werewolves know, they can sense it, their wolf or whatever just _knows_ that they were meant to be together! Did you just not realize? I just…” She pulled her knees up and buried her face in the fabric of her pants, hating how emotional she was, hating to yell, hating to fight.

“I did know.” Derek’s voice was so quiet, that Sadie figured if she didn’t have the goddess’ powers she wouldn’t have heard him. “My wolf had reacted to you instantly, and was dead set on you by the time Stewart’s guys had kidnapped you.”

Sadie sighed, not daring to lift her head. His words had only made this worse.

“Then why would you sleep with her?” her words were muffled, but she knew he could hear her.

“I didn’t sleep with her Sadie.” Derek sighed softly. “I couldn’t do it… physically, mentally… you were too much.”

“Then why they hell did you even try!?” Sadie surprised even herself by yelling, exploding out of her shell with flapping arms. “You should’ve just come and talked to me you giant fucking idiot!” She smacked his bare arm, feeling oddly satisfied with the sound of skin on skin. “I had come over to try and get you to crawl back to me dip shit!” Smack. “Why the fuck can’t you communicate with me!?” Derek caught her wrist before she could smack him again, and suddenly he was on top of her, pinning her hands to the floor above her head. “Don’t even think about-” Her words were cut off with a rough kiss, making her eyes burn bright violet and heat coil in her abdomen.

“You were saying?”Derek murmured against her skin, his tongue tracing his mark on her neck. “You’re so hot when you’re mad.” She flipped him over without a thought, impressing even herself with her strength.

“Don’t patronize me Hale.” she hissed, running her nose up the column of his throat. Derek shivered beneath her, a little whimper coming from the deep within him. She could feel his arousal pressing against her, and there was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to pull down her pants and ride him until she saw stars.  But the rest of her, the vindictive part, knew better.

So she crawled off him and returned to her food, pretending like nothing had happened. Yelling at him definitely made her feel better. That was for sure. And his confused/scared/turned on expression was one for the ages.

“You know,” she mumbled around a mouthful of chicken and mushrooms. “Just cause we’re mates or whatever doesn’t mean you automatically get to have me.”

“I never said that,”Derek had cautiously returned to his spot beside her, box of food in hand. “You got to stop-” Sadie glared at him, smirking when he instantly stopped talking, looking like he was ready to run. “being so beautiful.” He finished lamely, hastily shoveling food into his mouth.

“That’s what I thought.”

“You know, I could be jealous about your relationship with Stabler.” Derek looked really pleased with himself, lips twisting into a smirk.

“Have you seen me kissing him lately?”

“No…”

“Not the same then.” Sadie gave him a dirty look, her nose scrunching.

“I love you,” Derek almost begged, his green eyes huge and his lips all pouty. Sadie sighed, reaching out and running her fingers along his jawline.  

“I love you too.” she leaned closer and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Doesn’t mean I’m letting this go though.” Derek smiled, his real, beautiful, please have my babies smile that made butterflies flutter in Sadie’s stomach.

“Can we have make-up sex now?”

God how she wanted to say yes. How she wanted to drag him into her bedroom or push him back down on the floor and make his eyes turn blue with need. Instead she just smirked, returning to her (hopefully still warm) spicy chicken.

“Nah… I’m hungry.”

Before he could respond she flicked on the TV, turning up NCIS until it was loud enough to block out any comments from the frustrated werewolf. Sadie Sheldon didn’t give in that easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> OnlyTeenWolf - I hope this clears it up for you a little! And after reading your comment, I think I will have Sadie hold onto this bad taste in her mouth for a little while longer... because I know that I would totally not let it go (even though Derek is super hot haha)
> 
> XOXO - B


	35. She Tells Me, 'Worship in The Bedroom'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, this is might be a little more raunchy than usual... I think I've been reading too much Sterek Fic haha

Sadie had made Derek sleep on the couch. He would’ve protested more, because hey- Derek Hale doesn’t take orders from nobody. Except Sadie Sheldon. Because Sadie terrifies the living daylights out of him. And he understood that she was upset, but the past was the past. And he loved her god dammit! It was foolish to focus on what had happened before! _Says the man who spent years being an angry hermit because of the past…_

Derek hated his own subconscious and how right it was. He could only imagine how he would have reacted if he saw Sadie kissing Deputy Johnson or Stabler or anyone really. But still. He wanted to be in bed with her. Not sleeping on the damn couch.

“Hey Scott it’s me.” She was on the phone with Scott, sounding older, and more tired than Derek had ever heard. “Sorry to call so late, but I was hoping you could come over for breakfast in the morning?”

“Yeah sure, what’s up?” He could barely hear Scott’s voice through the phone.

“Uh, I um met someone today, and she kind of told me a secret… but it’s important for you to know.” Sadie hadn’t mentioned anything to him earlier. Derek frowned. This couldn’t be good.

“Do you want me to bring Lydia and Stiles?” Scott was asking.

“No!” Sadie responded quickly, her voice jumping an octave. “You and Derek are the only ones I can tell.”

“Why us?” Scott was apparently in a questioning mood tonight it seemed. Sadie sighed loudly, and Derek imagined she was pushing a hand through her hair.

“She said I could tell my alpha and my mate.” she sounded slightly embarrassed, her cheeks probably flaming red.

“I gotcha,” Scott was chuckling, and Derek was surprised to hear Sadie giggle quietly. “I want you to tell me what happened with Stewart too.” It seemed that somewhere along the way, Sadie and Scott had bonded considerably. Just listening to them talk, the implicit trust was palpable.

“I will. Night Scott.”

“Night Sadie, and Derek… I know you’re listening.” Scott hung up before Derek could yell towards the bedroom, but Sadie’s quiet huff of irritation kept him from moving from the couch.

She was still mad.

Perfect.

He stared up at the ceiling in the dark living room, listening to her toss and turn and sigh and grumble to herself. Derek remained perfectly still, arms folded beneath his head, counting the swirls in the white paint above him. It didn’t take all that long for her bedroom door to creak open, followed by Sadie crawling on top of him.

“I thought you were mad at me?” Derek asked quietly, stroking her hair.

“I am,” Sadie grumbled, her face pressed into his shoulder. “But I can’t...I just… I need… Come to bed with me?”

“Of course baby,” Derek managed to scoop her up and get up off the couch in one smooth motion, cradling her to his chest like a child. But there was nothing childlike about the way she was lazily sucking on his neck, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.

He crawled into her bed without setting her down, pulling the sheets over them while Sadie continued to kiss down his neck. It was different this time, slow and building, her lips moving up his jaw to meet his. She tasted like toothpaste and heaven, her tongue slipping between his lips. Derek felt a rumble deep within his chest, and he realized with a hint of embarrassment that he was practically purring. Sadie didn’t seem to mind though, she had pushed herself on top of him, hands rubbing over his muscles and running through his hair. Yeah. Definitely purring.

Pulling her t-shirt over her head, Derek traced his hands up her back, finding some kind of deep satisfaction in the deep arch between her ass and her shoulders. God she was hot. And she was his. _His_. He wanted to flip her over, to duck his head and suckle on her nipples, to pull little cries and moans out of her with his tongue and his teeth. But he knew better. She needed to be in control.

She returned to kissing his neck, tongue tracing the lines of his muscles down to his shoulders. It was then that Derek noticed. Her eyes were still decidedly gray-blue, pupils fully dilated, but definitely human. And he knew his own eyes were normal, he hadn’t shifted at all. It was rare really, to be as turned on as he currently was, and to be totally human. She was doing this on purpose, this slow burn, excruciatingly, painfully dreamy seduction was keeping them human.

“Stop thinking so much,” she was smiling down at him, her cheeks flushing slightly when his thumbs brushed her breasts. “I can almost see the smoke coming out of your ears.” Derek couldn’t help but smile back, loving the way she blushed darker in response, her heart beat picking up slightly.

“You’re keeping us human you know,” he whispered, brushing his hands through her hair. It was growing fast, already below her shoulders. Sadie smirked before ducking her head, pressing a line of feather soft kisses across his collarbone.

“Yeah well,” she giggled quietly, her eyelashes tickling his neck. Good lord. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed being human with Sadie. “Maybe I wanted to sleep with _you_ and not have it be a Goddess and a wolf struggling for dominance the entire time.”

Derek wasn't prepared for the way his cock twitched in reaction, the heat that had been building in his abdomen spreading up through his chest. He wasn't expecting how good her fingers tracing lightly across his pecs and over his abs would feel, humming unabashedly in approval. “You like that huh Der?”   She sat back on her heels, her fingers tracing what Derek suspected were triskeles onto his skin. He just nodded, eyelids drooping as he watched her.

“You have too many clothes on,” he mumbled, reaching for the waistband of her sweats and attempting to push them lower on her hips. Sadie smirked and wiggled out of her pants, her fingers tugging on his own sweats.

“Oh fuckkkk Sadie,” Derek groaned, trying to keep his hips from bucking as her tongue flicked across the head of his cock. She didn’t respond, just took him into the slick heat of her mouth. He moaned again, reaching blindly for her, tugging on her arms and legs until she giggled and helped him, allowing him to position her over his face. Derek waiting until she’d pulled him back into her mouth to wrap his arms around her hips and pull her down onto him, delving his tongue inside her and lapping across her clit.

He was rewarded with Sadie’s low moan, her whole body clenching around him. He would’ve chuckled if she hadn’t pressed the pads of her fingers against the soft spot behind his balls. Hips jerking in response, Derek buried his moan in her wet heat, which in turn made her thighs clamp tighter around his head.

“Fuck Sadie,” he hissed, attempting to continue his oral assault, but it was hopeless. Sadie rolled off him with a giggle, crawling back up his body and kissing him heatedly.

“Why don’t you stop saying fuck and starting fucking me.” she started off sounding seductive, but by the end of the sentence she was blushing and giving away to giggles.

“Oh I’m gonna fuck you so hard baby,” Derek couldn’t help but chuckle too, feeling ridiculous with his dirty talk. “Come hear you sexy little goof ball,” he laughed, twisting his hands in her hair and tugging her back down for another heated kiss.

“God, I love you,” Sadie breathed, her hands spread across his chest as she straddled him, getting into position. It was the first time she said it first, and Derek felt something blossom in his chest. It was like the last remaining layer of darkness had lifted off of him, leaving him pure again for Sadie.

“I love you too,” he brought one of her hands to his lips, pressing soft kisses to her knuckles. She smiled genuinely at him, her eyes full of warmth. And then she pushed down onto him, her eyes rolling back as Derek swore quietly. His hands went instantly to her hips, helping her lift up off him, thrusting as gently as he could. He was close already. Too close. He was fighting back the shift, trying to keep his eyes from changing colors. He could tell Sadie was too, her hips moving almost to0 slow, her nails scratching down his chest.

He didn’t know how this was going to work. There was no way he could keep his cool. She was amazing, wonderful, beautiful, mind blowingly sexy… and he was pretty sure he couldn’t keep his wolf at bay.

“Fuck.  I’m sorry.” Sadie’s whispered words had him forcing his eyes open to find her staring at the ceiling. She glanced down at him, her eyes a brilliant violet. Derek’s fangs popped through immediately, pulling her down onto his chest and kissing her roughly.

“S’okay babe.” he murmured against her ear, thrusting faster as she moaned lowly. “It’s still us.” He was surprised when Sadie shuddered, her internal muscles tightening around him as she came, his name an almost silent whisper on her lips. Derek followed soon after, his thrusting becoming erratic until he poured himself into her, clutching her soft body to his chest.

Best he’d ever had. Ever.

Burying his face in her neck, Derek licked at the mark there, fighting off the urge to mark her again and again. Sadie sighed, breath ruffling his hair as she relaxed on top of him, nuzzling the hair above his ear. Derek hummed in contentment, letting his hands roam down her back and grab gently at her round ass.

“Mine,” he growled against her skin, expecting her to shoot back a slightly irritated ‘ _no, you’re mine_ ’. But instead Sadie kissed his head, her breath hot on his ear.

“Yours.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank You for reading!!
> 
> XOXO - B


	36. There's Something Happening Here

Scott felt almost adult-like as he rode his dirt bike over to Sadie’s apartment. He still wasn’t used to being an alpha, and in all reality, he hadn’t even started senior year yet. But that’s what he liked about Sadie. She treated him like an adult. Actually, she treated all of them (with the exception of Lydia sometimes) like adults. At the sight of Derek’s SUV still parked beside Sadie’s car, Scott couldn’t help but smirk. He was happy for Derek, he really was. But there was still that inner twelve year old that kind of wanted to tease him about having a girlfriend. The rest of him kind of wanted to interrogate the elder werewolf about this whole mates thing… How exactly did that even work?

He paused in front of the door. Oh god. What if they were like… naked or something? Do mates just hang out naked? Oh my god. Maybe they needed him to perform some kind of ritual since he was the alpha! Or they wanted a threesome! Holy shit. Scott had not signed up for that.

“Scott. I can _smell_ you hyperventilating.” Derek’s voice came from somewhere inside of the apartment, followed by a distressed sound from Sadie.

“Scott, are you okay?” The door swung open in front of him, revealing a fully clothed (albeit still very attractive) Sadie.

“Yeah!” He laughed, forcing away his apprehension as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Derek, perhaps not all that surprisingly, _was_ half-naked, sweatpants slung low on his hips, showing off his impressive physique (though it wasn’t quite as impressive as when he was still the alpha… but Scott wasn’t about to tell him that.). It was more off putting that Derek was beating eggs, the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove behind him. The former alpha was... Domestic?

Normally, Scott would've had Stiles with him, who would not have lost the chance to fully harass Derek, and Scott could smirk noncommittally in the background. Today however, the sound of his stomach grumbling loudly in hunger made him reconsider taking the harassment on himself, since there was no doubt in his mind that Derek would kick him out.

"Scott, you can sit." Sadie motioned towards the stools at the counter, joining Derek in the kitchen. "Do you want coffee? Orange juice?"

"I'll have coffee please." Scott smiled at her, watching curiously as she made him a cup, stirring in the perfect amount of cream and sugar. How did she even know?

"So, when we meeting with the Calaveras?" Sadie was leaning across the counter on her elbows, her red-blonde hair piled in her usual bun on top of her head. It was hard to remember that the girl in front of him, who wasn't all that much older than him, was inhabited by the spirit of an ancient goddess. Right now, as she watched him with careful blue eyes and a soft smile, she reminded him more of his mom than anything else. But he'd seen her fight, he'd seen her risk her life, he'd seen her eyes turn bright purple and watched her make fog rise out of the ground. She was powerful. He'd talked to Deaton about her. Even if Sadie was Lydia's cousin, that didn't mean they could automatically trust her. The vet had done his usual evasive answering, but he'd assured Scott that she was trustworthy and that the Sheldon family had only done good things in Beacon Hills.

And of course that was more than enough for Scott. On top of that, the way Isaac reacted towards her really sealed the deal. The beta was kind of Scott's exact opposite when he came to trust. He trusted NO ONE. Except Scott. And Sadie. So that was something.

"After this," Scott took a sip of the coffee, ignoring the glowering coming from Derek's direction. "I figured it'd be best to do this in the daylight. Less chance of them trying to kill us."

"Wow Scott," Derek chuckled (wait. Derek knows how to laugh? Oh MY GOD) as he poured the eggs into a frying pan. "Stiles and his Debbie downer ways must be wearing off on you."

"Dude," Scott rolled his eyes. "The only person more negative than Stiles, is you... How come you're such a ray of sunshine all of a sudden?"

“Well somebody around here has to be positive…”he responded cheerily. Scott didn’t miss the death glare Sadie shot Derek, or the way Derek pretended he couldn’t see her. Oh boy. Totally not here for lover’s spats. That was for sure.

“Just ignore him Scott.” Sadie ordered, her gaze still focused on Derek’s back. They didn’t smell angry. In fact they smelled… turned on. What the actual fuck.

“Errr, are you guys fighting? Is this a bad time? I can um,”

“No, you’re fine dear.” Sadie smiled sweetly at him, arranging three plates on the counter next to the stove. “Don’t worry about it.” Scott just watched the pair for a minute, Derek folding the eggs, Sadie elbowing him until he moved so she could take the bacon out of the pan.

“So is this what it means to be mates? You guys are perpetually turned on?” The words slipped out of Scott’s mouth before he could stop them, cringing instantly. It was like Stiles or freaking Malia had taken over his body. No tact whatsoever.

“Pretty much,” Derek was grinning proudly (Scott wondered if he should be filming this whole morning for future reference. He’d never seen Derek so… comfortable in his entire life. So WEIRD) as he scooped the fluffy scrambled eggs onto the paper plates.

“Oh my god,” Sadie was blushing furiously, head ducked as she patted the bacon with a paper towel.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed,” Scott said kindly, knocking his shoulder against hers when she slid onto the stool beside him. “I think it’s cool.”

“That we’re horny all the time? Come on now Scott.” Derek was teasing him. Since when did Derek understand the concept of teasing? What THE HELL! “See princess, making Scott all flustered still doesn’t do anything for me.” Derek winked at Sadie, who smirked, her cheeks still tinged pink. Great. Now they have inside jokes too.

“No. I just meant the whole mates thing. I don’t really understand it but I think it’s interesting.” Scott explained himself, pausing to take a bite of eggs. And they were good. Real good. Derek can actually cook. This visit has been life changing already!

“I never explained it to you?” Derek’s eyebrows dipped low over his eyes as he chewed on a piece of bacon.

“Nah dude,” Scott fought back a smirk when Derek glared. “That would’ve been a hella awkward conversation.”

“First off, don’t call me dude.” the older wolf growled. “And don't say hella either.” His lips quirked into a smile when Sadie giggled quietly, her eyes sparkling. “Secondly, the whole mates thing… it’s more like your inner wolf chooses someone. And when you meet someone who’s wolf chooses you too, it’s just… you can almost feel it when you touch i guess.”

“But Sadie isn’t a werewolf.” Scott looked back and forth between Sadie and Derek, seated on either side of him.

“Well, remember how I told you about the Goddess and the Daughters’ history with wolves?” Sadie offered, continuing when Scott nodded. “Err, I kind of left out the part where the Goddess has a type. And that type is werewolves. Almost every daughter has ended up with a werewolf.”

“Oh.” Scott thought this over for a moment, washing down his eggs with another gulp of coffee. He really liked Kira. But he’d never noticed his wolf side doing anything out of the ordinary around her. Allison though… Now he had so many questions. But he asked the most important one.

“Don’t you feel like your own human choice is getting taken away from you?”

Sadie looked sad, her lips lifting only slightly as she patted his arm. Derek on the other hand…

“I thought I would feel that way… when it actually happened.” He ducked his head before grinning up at Sadie through his lashes. Jesus Christ. Scott was straight and that look was enough to make him melt a little. “But you can tell. You can separate it, the emotions, from you and the wolf. And let me tell you, if you and the wolf agree on someone…” he reached across Scott for Sadie’s hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Then you better never let them go.”

“Oh my god, you are so dramatic.” Sadie grumbled, but Scott could tell she was pleased. “We have more important things to talk about than romance and love stories.”

“Who ever said anything about romance? I was talking about hot sex.” Derek shot back, his grin widening as Sadie huffed, tossing a piece of bacon at him.

“Anyways,” she turned her attention to Scott, dutifully ignoring the other werewolf. “Yesterday at work, your dad and the Sheriff brought me to 'meet someone' in the Sheriff’s office, and were super sketchy about the whole thing. So they let me in there, and close the door, leaving me alone with this _lady_ … and then she has glowing yellow-green eyes…” Scott could feel Derek tense beside him, the feel-good emotions from a few minutes ago replaced by… anxiety. “Relax Hale.” Derek immediately let out a breath, the tension in the air lessening. “Long story short, she was a were-hyena, and apparently there is a Sector S in the FBI that deals with supernatural creatures or whatever.”

“And my dad knows?” Scott asked, his mind already doing double time. This was not good!

“No.” Sadie shook her head. “At least, I don’t think so. Like I said, I was only allowed to tell you guys. So keep your mouths shut.”

“What do they do? How do we get a hold of them?” Scott didn't like not having all the information. It was like dealing with freaking Deaton.

“She said that they had the facilities to hold supernaturals, and that they could neutralize any threats. I guess they used to be in contact with Derek’s mom, but after the fire, they lost contact. But they’ve noticed you. And me.” Sadie sighed, pushing a hand into her hair. “All I have is a phone number.” She seemed just as frustrated as Scott was. “I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I got.”

“That’s good though Sadie,” Scott found himself comforting her, rubbing her arm gently. “At least we know we can get back-up if we need it.” Sadie nodded slightly, still staring down at her eggs. “Now, tell me about Stewart.”

“That,” Derek interrupted. “Is _my_ story.”

“Oh god, here we go.” Sadie groaned, but she was smirking, eyes crinkling in the corners as she looked at Derek. “Let’s hear it Hale.” Scott looked between the two of them, his own smile growing as he settled in for Derek’s big story. Hanging out with Derek and Sadie might be weird… but he liked it.

 

\-------

 

“I still don’t like this.” Derek grumbled from the passenger seat, doing his usual glowering and sulking and pouting. Sadie sighed loudly as she put the car in park. She was sick of arguing about this, sick of listening to Derek complain, sick of feeling afraid that something would happen to her dad or Scott or Chris.

“Derek,” she took his hands into hers, twisting in her seat to face them. “We both know that having you come with us will only end badly.” At this Derek rolled his eyes. “Come on. It’s because you’re way too much of a martyr, and you’d throw yourself into a fight before me and Scott even have a chance to think it through!” She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to get back on track. “Please, just stay here. Just wait for me. And when I get back, we can go to the cook-out at Gram’s, okay?” Derek nodded solemnly, and Sadie had no doubt that he was not going to listen, that he was going to get out of the car and probably get them into trouble. But at least he was hearing her. She leaned towards him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I love you.” He pulled her into him, his big arms wrapping around her as he kissed her back. She could almost feel the fear in his touch. He was afraid to lose her.

“I love you more. To the moon and back. Forever and always.” He whispered, kissing her three more times before releasing her from his arms.

“Forever and Always.” Sadie repeated, trying not to overthink and freak out and wonder if maybe this was the last time she’d see him. She climbed out of the car and popped the trunk, strapping on her bulletproof vest and loading up on weapons.  

“Well prepared as always I see.” She smirked at the sound of her dad’s voice, leaning into his side as he wrapped his arm around her.

“Like father like daughter!” she replied, glancing down at the pistol holstered on his hip. “You need a vest?” She didn’t wait for his answer, just pulled one out and forced it on him. No chances were gonna be taken when it came to her father.

“Why is your boyfriend sulking in the car?” Her dad chuckled as he tightened the straps of the vest, already walking around to Derek’s window.

“He’s mad he can’t come play with me and Scott.” Sadie laughed, pushing her sunglasses up higher on her nose.

“I brought a friend for grumpy pants anyways,” Scott had appeared out of nowhere, leaning casually against her car.

“Who would that-”

“You mean I have to sit in a tiny car with freaking sourwolf?!” Stiles’ groan from behind her answered her question. “The last time we were in a small space together he threatened to kill me like fifteen times!”

“Eighteen.” Derek growled from inside the car, causing Scott to snicker.

“It’s great for bonding.” Scott assured Stiles, pushing him towards Sadie’s abandoned seat. “It’ll be super fun. Maybe you guys can come up with a secret handshake.”

Ignoring the grumbling coming from inside the car, Sadie motioned for her dad.

“Dad, this is Scott.”

“Ah, the true alpha.” Her dad held out his hand. “My name’s Dan, it’s good to finally meet you. Chris has told me a lot about you.”

“It’s good to meet you too,” Scott replied warily. “Hopefully Mr. Argent has been telling you good things.”

“Always Scott,” Chris walked up behind him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Always good things.” Scott didn’t look convinced, so Sadie swooped in to save him.

“Alright, what’s our plan?”

“Let me lead the conversation.” Chris crossed his arms loosely. “I have the most credibility with Araya. You and Scott need to stay behind me and Dan. Don’t speak unless she asks you a question. I know it sounds cruel, but it doesn’t take much to tip the scales the wrong way.” Sadie glanced at Scott and he nodded solemnly, his eyes hardening slightly. It was time.

 

Sadie walked behind her father, matching her steps with his like she used to when she was a kid. While it was comforting to have him there, it also scared the shit out of her. She felt like she was going in blind.

“It’ll be ok Sadie.” Scott whispered beside her, his kind eyes full of concern. She was sure he could hear her heart beating erratically in her chest. “Here.” He reached for her hand, intertwining his much larger fingers with hers. He was taking away her stress and anxiety, his veins sparkling with purple. “Whoa that’s cool.” He murmured, sounding just a little awed.

“Yeah, Goddess probs.” Sadie grinned at him, already feeling much better. She was sure they looked like quite the picture, her hair in a messy bun, wearing cut off jeans and cowboy boots and a white tank top, a semi automatic strapped to her a back and a bullet proof vest wrapped around her chest, holding hands with a teenage werewolf. It was the stuff of fairytales. Grimm Brothers fairytales. “Are they following us yet?”

Scott inhaled deeply, his irises flooding with red as he concentrated.

“No. Not yet.” He smirked at her, eyes fading back to brown. “Just give it a few minutes.”

“They better not do anything stupid. I swear, I will kill Derek myself.” She hissed, probably squeezing Scott’s hand a little too tight.

“That’s why I brought Stiles,” Scott looked all too pleased with himself. “They can’t function without arguing, so it oughta take them longer to come up with a plan.”

“Huh… that’s actually a good…” Sadie trailed off, more focused on the sense of danger flooding her system.

“Well, well, well. It seems the cavalry has arrived.” Araya Calavera was leaning against a black SUV, her arms crossed loosely in front of her chest. God. That woman just grated against Sadie’s nerves. “We’ve got a true alpha, a girl whose eyes turn purple, a failed hunter and a failed emissary.” Sadie ground her teeth. No one had the right to insult her father like that. No one. Scott squeezed her hand, warning her to calm down.

“Hello Araya,” Chris was eerily calm for this situation. Sadie wondered if anyone else had noticed the two snipers hiding on top of the abandoned warehouses surrounding them. She could see the sun glinting off their guns, and she figured she could take at least one of them out if she had to. If Stabler was here, they could totally take the whole gang out themselves. She knew that was a fact. _Focus Sadie, focus_. “Sadie and Scott are here per your request,” Chris continued. “So let’s get on with it.”

“So impatient Christopher,” Araya smirked, and Sadie realized she was stroking her fingers along the blade of a short dagger. “Scott already knows my rule. If he doesn’t bite any human, I’ll leave him be.”

“Okay.” Chris nodded, not even glancing behind him to look at Scott. “What do you want with Sadie?”

Araya’s lips twisted up into a smirk.

“The girl’s coming with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to switch it up and try writing from Scott's point of view... I think it was okay for my first time writing anyone other than Derek, Lydia or Sadie.
> 
> Anyways, I know this is short/ends on a cliff hanger, but I wanted you guys to know that I haven't forgotten about this story! I'm working on trying to wrap it up a bit since everything with Stewart is settled! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> XOXO - B


	37. Let's Have Another Toast To The Girl Almighty

“The girl’s coming with me.”

 

Derek’s heart was pounding in his ears as he crouched behind a dumpster, trying to get a good position to see what was going down. But after that comment, he was about ready to throw plans and logic out the window and go charging in there. In fact, he was so close to letting out a roar of frustration when a sweaty, albeit familiar, hand was slapped over his mouth.

“Are you out of your mind?” Stiles hissed, suddenly all up in his space. “Don’t think I couldn’t tell you were about to get all wolfman on me and start howling at the moon like an idiot.” Holding in the childish impulse to lick the teenagers hand, Derek instead turned to glare at him. “You don’t scare me anymore.” Stiles seemed to be able to read his mind, but he removed his hand anyways. “You can’t go charging out there. They’ve got snipers on the roof.” Derek followed the direction of Stiles’ eyes, squinting when he spotted the guy dressed in all laying flat out behind a chimney.

“You got something you’d like to add little bruja?” The sound of Araya’s voice had him zeroing back in on Sadie, who was almost vibrating with annoyance. He could see Scott’s veins sparkling purple in the sunlight as he tried to soak up her anxiety through their joined hands. Unfortunately, Derek was pretty sure nothing could calm Sadie down when she got like this.

“Why do you want me?” Sadie’s voice broke halfway through her sentence, and Derek had to physically stop himself from running to her.

“Well,” Araya glanced towards Derek, causing him to flinch and flatten to the ground, Stiles in tow. “I could always use a little magic on my side.”

“Derek!” Stiles half whispered half gasped. “Look at that!”

Following Stiles’ pointed finger, Derek watched as a squirrel scaled the side of the building, making a beeline for the sniper.

“I’m not going with you.” Derek glanced back to his girlfriend, pleased to see she had her head held high. “I belong here. With my family. And my pack.” She had both hands on her hips now, the machine gun she carried slung over her shoulder.

“Why is it so fucking sticky all of a sudden?” Stiles was grumbling again, pushing Derek away from him with his eyes still fixed on the squirrel.

“It’s Sadie,” Derek didn’t particularly feel like explaining that one, but Stiles had a look of understanding on his face, which was slowly giving away to a grin.

“Unfortunately for you, if you want your familia to be safe, then you need to leave them.” Araya had a way of being vaguely threatening without raising her voice. But Sadie…

The sky darkened above them, and Derek could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

“I could have you deported in seconds.” Sadie stated calmly, her arms crossing in front of her. “I could have you arrested for crossing U.S. borders with military grade weapons. I could have you arrested for stalking, harassment and intent to harm a minor.” _God she’s hot when she gets her FBI speak on_. “Instead, I’m going to let nature take care of this one for me.” Derek couldn’t see her face, but he was sure she was grinning.

There were yelps from the rooftops, and Stiles cackling made Derek think that the squirrel had made it’s move. The wind picked up, blowing sand and trash into the faces of the Calaveras. Derek took this moment to charge out of his hiding spot, dragging an always flailing Stiles along with him. He was close enough to grab Sadie when a blast of wind hit him, just strong enough to keep him from moving. Scott was shaking his head with a disapproving smirk on his face, but Sadie was refusing to turn around. She stepped away from him, pushing her dad and Argent behind her, eyes focused on Araya and the men on either side of her.

Derek watched in amazement as vines grew out of no where, wrapping themselves slowly around the Calaveras left standing, holding them in place. A squirrel scurried through the wind (Stiles informed Derek it was _his_ friend), and climbed up Sadie’s leg, perching on her shoulder as if he’d been trained.

“I think it’s about time Special Agent McCall gets an anonymous tip about a suspected Mexican crime family in the Beacon Hills area.” Sadie sounded like she was smirking, and sure enough, when she finally turned to face Derek, there was one spreading across her face. But his eyes were drawn over her shoulder, to where Araya was struggling to lift her arm before the vines got to her. The older woman had a dagger between her fingers, her cold eyes fixed on Sadie’s dad.

With a roar, Derek broke through the wind, throwing himself in front of Dan as Araya flicked her wrist. The dagger sunk deep into his left shoulder, blood already seeping as he hit the ground. Lightning cracked overhead, combining with the sudden downpour to cover Sadie’s shout. From his position on the pavement Derek could see the vines tightening dangerously around the Calaveras, and when he glanced up at Sadie, her eyes were glowing.

“You’re an idiot.” She hissed at him, though he was pretty sure there were tears mixing with the rain running down her cheeks. She dropped to her knees beside him, one hand cupping his cheek as the other curled around the hilt of the knife. “Thank you.” Her whisper was so quiet, he was sure even Scott couldn’t hear her. “I love you.” Sadie pressed her lips to his as she yanked the dagger out of his arm. Derek barely flinched, too caught up in the way she kissed him.

“I love you more,” he gasped, suddenly aware of the burning sensation spreading down his arm. Sadie’s eyes were huge as she pressed her hands to the wound, puffs of purple smoke swirling through the rain.

“Is it the synthetic poison again?” Scott crouched on Derek’s other side, soon joined by Sadie’s dad.

“I don’t think so… he’s healing.” Sadie murmured, wiping one bloodied hand on her shorts before stroking Derek’s cheek. “Does it feel better?”

“Yeah,” he forced the words out in a huff, even though he would have told her whatever she wanted to hear. The pain seemed to be receding, and when he looked back at his shoulder, new pink skin was covering the hole.

“Come on kid, let’s get you up.” Dan held out his hand, hoisting Derek back up onto his feet. “Thank you.” The older man added solemnly, his hand grasping Derek’s good shoulder. “You’re a good man.” Derek nodded, turning to wrap his arm around Sadie. But she was already stomping back towards where the cars were parked, not even glancing at Argent on the phone with the Sheriff when she passed him. Stiles was stumbling along in her wake, apparently deciding to chose the winning side as he glared at Derek over his shoulder.

Derek sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, ruffling it in an attempt to dry off. The rain had stopped almost as quickly as it started, replaced with the swift winds that Derek had come to associate with Sadie’s annoyance. Apparently saving her father’s life had not been the right decision.

“I dunno if I’d follow her…” Scott cautioned, reaching out to hold Derek back with wary eyes. He was surprised when Sadie’s dad chuckled, his eyes dancing with merriment.

“Let me teach you boys a little something about women,” he paused, shrugging slightly. “Always follow them. Unless they explicitly tell you to leave them alone, and I know you two can tell if someone’s lying, just stay with them. You don’t have to talk. You don’t have to apologize. Just wait.” He grinned, and Derek suddenly saw a shocking resemblance to Sadie in his features. “They’ll tell you what you did wrong eventually.” Scott looked like he had questions, but Derek didn’t stick around to hear them. He took off at a run, catching up to Sadie in seconds (and glaring at Stiles until he retreated). She didn’t speak to him, just ripped off her vest angrily, throwing it into trunk of the Subie with her weapons.

Even with blood on her shorts and staining her hands, she looked hot as hell. Her hair was damp and curling in little tendrils around her face as she wiped off the machine gun with a rag. Girls with guns didn’t usually do anything for him. But then again, everything Sadie did, did something for him. She glanced up at him, her eyes narrowing as she scowled at the blood marring his light blue t-shirt. Derek swallowed the flirtatious comments he had on the tip of his tongue, instead ducking his head and sliding behind the wheel.

He waited quietly until she got in the car, backing out of the parking spot without a word. It took less time than he expected for Sadie to break, her loud huff of irritation making his shoulders tense.

“That was stupid.” She accused. He could tell she was trying to look angry, but the trembling of her chin gave away her fear.

“I healed.” Derek shrugged, glancing away when her glare hardened.

“So! She could have poisoned you! What if I couldn’t have healed you? What if it didn’t work?” Sadie was crying now, and Derek hated it. “What if you died?!”

“I couldn’t live with myself if I had let someone you love get hurt instead.” He tried to reach for her hand, but she swatted him away.

“But I love you! Did you ever think of that before throwing yourself in front of a knife?!” She half yelled, half sobbed, her hands falling with a loud slap onto her thighs. “This is the third time this week I have to clean your blood off my hands Derek!”

“Would you rather it was your father’s?” The question slipped out before he could stop it, regret filling his chest like lead. Sadie froze, blinking at him with her mouth hanging open. And then she snapped it shut, turning straight forward and staring out the windshield. The temperature in the car dropped uncomfortably and Derek could smell fresh blood from her digging her own fingernails into her arms. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He murmured, fighting the urge to reach for her. “You like logic right? Well, statistically speaking, I had a higher chance of surviving _whatever_ Araya could have thrown at me than your dad. So there’s no way I could justify letting him take the hit.” Sadie didn’t respond, but her could see her jaw softening out of the corner of his eye.

On a whim, he turned left instead of right, heading away from her apartment and towards the preserve. She didn’t notice at first, too lost in thought until buildings started turning into suburbs.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s something I need to show you.” Derek didn’t explain further, he just drove onwards, trying to ignore the familiar apprehension twisting in his stomach as he drove deeper into the woods. He parked in front of the charred remains of his family home, climbing out of the car without speaking. Sadie hesitantly followed suit, her heart rate speeding up with nervousness and confusion. He knew Scott had told her his backstory. But they’d never talked about it, the two of them. And hell, if he wanted to marry this girl, she deserved to know about the wake of destruction in his past.

“This is where I grew up.” He spoke quietly, kicking his feet through the leaves before dropping onto the front steps. “What’s left of it.” Sadie looked almost horrified, but she slowly sat beside him, reaching for his hand. Derek smiled slightly, twining his fingers with hers and letting out a sigh. “I know you’ve heard the tragedy that is my life. But I think I should tell you my version.” He glanced down at Sadie, who nodded slightly, her blue eyes almost too wide. “When I was sixteen, I met a girl. She hated me.” He smirked slightly. “But I can be charming when I want to. Paige was perfect. I was head over heels in love with her. Of course, even all those years ago, Peter was meddling where he shouldn’t have been. He tried to convince me to have Paige get the Bite. There were three other packs in town at the time, which meant there were three other alphas besides my mom would could do it. Paige was young and healthy. It should’ve worked.” He swallowed the lump rising in his throat, focusing on the hearts he was tracing on the back of Sadie’s hand.

“But it didn’t.” She supplied after a moment, reaching up and pushing her fingers through his hair. Derek leaned into her touch, savoring it.

“She was dying. It was so painful for her. She told me… she told me that she’d figured it out. She knew I wasn’t just human. We would’ve been fine. She loved me. But now she was dying, and begging me to end her life, to end the pain.” Releasing Sadie’s hand, Derek covered his face with his hands. “And I did it. I killed the innocent little girl that I was in love with.”

"Oh honey," she murmured, reaching for Derek and pulling him down into her. He nuzzled at her neck, allowing her scent to calm him.

"But of course, that's not even the end of it. Only a couple of months later, I met Kate. She was tall and blonde and hot. And when you're sixteen and an older girl is paying attention to you... I fell hard and fast. I knew she was an Argent, I knew they hunted my family. But she said she didn't care about that. She wanted me anyways. I should've _known_. But she manipulated me. She took my virginity, my love, and then she took my family." By now Sadie was practically in his lap, her arms wrapped around him as she rubbed his back.

"I thought Paige was your first?" She asked, and Derek cringed, aware that she was still keeping count. He just shook his head slightly, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"My sister Laura and I moved to New York for a couple of years after the fire. She was the alpha then. And then we got some news about weird things happening in Beacon Hills, so she came home. She wasn't back her a month before she was killed. I don't know if anyone has told you, but for a werewolf, when a member of your pack is killed, it feels like you've lost a limb. And I'd lost my sister! So I returned, to seek revenge. That's when I met Scott and Stiles." He smiled wryly at the memory. "It was rough with them at first. Actually, up until recently it was still hard. I found out that Peter was the one that killed Laura. And the one who bit Scott. And Lydia." Derek paused, breathing deeply against her neck. He was afraid of what she'd think of him after this. "And then I killed Peter." But Sadie just kept rubbing his back, her heart rate never even quickening.

"Continue." She prodded after a moment. "Obviously he's still alive."

"Right," Derek huffed quietly. "After that, I started building my own pack. Jackson, Lydia's ex was first. He was begging for the bite. But that was another disaster all together. Isaac was next, his father beat him. And then Erica, who had severe epilepsy. And Boyd, who was lonely. Although he accepted the bite because he wanted to be like Scott. Scott, who refused to join my pack. Jackson went to London. Erica and Boyd tried to leave me and were captured by the alpha pack. They killed Erica." He was reciting the facts now, trying to keep his emotions at bay. "I found out my younger sister Cora was still alive. But then the alpha pack forced me to kill Boyd. Like they actually took my claws and stabbed him with them. I was heart broken. I'd failed as an alpha." He swallowed again, wishing he couldn't feel the failure straight through his bones. "Right around this time was when I met Jennifer. She seemed great. A teacher, quiet, cute librarian vibe going. But she used me too. Even after Isaac's loyalty shifted to Scott, I was still the alpha. I had Cora. But Jennifer poisoned Cora to get to me, to use me for my power. I was able to give my alpha status to Cora, to save her. But Jennifer had taken the parents hostage, and she used that against me. I had to go along with her, to face against Scott and the alpha of the alphas, Deucalion. It was horrible. But... That's when me and Scott finally worked it out. He realized his true alpha status, and was able to defeat Jennifer. And we sent Deucalion on his way." Derek sighed, his mouth starting to get dry. "And then Stiles was possessed. And we lost Allison. And Aiden. And I just couldn't bear to let you experience any of the loss I've had."

"Oh Derek. Baby." Sadie hugged him tightly before leaning back, pulling at his chin until he looked up at her. He hadn't realized he was crying until she wiped at the tears. "You don't deserve any of that. You can't keep carrying all this guilt." Derek stared up at her, pushing his head into her hand.

"I should've taken better care of everyone."

"Maybe." Sadie said quietly, and Derek had to respect her for telling the truth. "But you can't change it now. All you can do is learn from it."

"You'd be a really good alpha you know." Derek admitted, pleased to see a little smile flit across her lips. "You'd probably be a true alpha like Scott."

"No one’s like Scott," she said with a smirk. "And I'm probably immune, remember?" Derek rolled his eyes half heartedly. "Hey." She was pulling at his chin again. "Look at me. I. Love. You." And then she was kissing him, her lips urgent against his. He let her push him down onto his back, letting his hands rest on her hips when she straddled him.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He whispered, letting his finger sneak up under the hem of her shirt. Sadie just grinned and leaned over him, biting at his neck until he moaned and grabbed her ass. She was grinding her hips against his, the friction of their jeans making Derek hard. Moaning again he pushed his hands under the waistband of her underwear, pulling her firmly against him.

"What are we in tenth grade?" Sadie grumbled, reaching down and unbuttoning her shorts. Instead of answering, Derek bit down on her bottom lip, shoving her shorts down as she moaned into his mouth. He pushed himself back up, scooting backward until his back rested against a post and he could pull Sadie firmly down into his lap. The birds were singing deafeningly loud in the trees surrounding the house, their song happy and cheerful and a tad bit annoying. Derek’s lips found her neck, sucking and licking as he breathed in her scent. She smelled better than ever, and it made his wolf want to claim her again and again.

“Tell your fan club to shut up,” he growled against her skin, rubbing his nose against her neck when she threw back her head and laughed. Sadie was tugging at his shirt when he figured it out. The reason why she smelled even better than usual. “I don’t have a condom.” Derek muttered, lifting his arms and allowing her to pull of his shirt. Sadie raised an eyebrow at him, her fingers already tracing patterns across his chest.

“I thought that… since you’re a werewolf and I’m clean, and I’m on birth control, we didn't have to worry about it?”

Frowning, Derek pressed his nose against her pulse, allowing his eyes to flutter closed as he breathed her in. His wolf whined loudly, panting with desire.

“Yeah, I uh… don’t think your birth control is working…” He muttered, letting out an embarrassing whine of his own when she pulled away from him. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to push her down onto the floor and… mate.

“Hold on there Hale.” Sadie pushed at his chest, trying to make eye contact. “What are you saying?” Derek huffed out a sigh and glanced up at her, before burying his face in her chest.

“You smell fertile.” He grumbled, kissing a line up to her collar bone. “And it’s making me really horny.”

“You and your horny-ness can wait.” Sadie smirked, pulling away from him and yanking her shorts back up. “The last thing we need right now is a child, just ‘cause the Goddess has decided to screw around with my birth control.” She bent over and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Plus, we have to go home and get cleaned up so we can go to Gram’s.”

Derek made a face at her, watching as she walked back towards the car. He took it as a good sign that she wasn’t running away from him screaming. In fact, for the first time in a long time, he felt like the weight of his past was starting to lift off his shoulders.

  
Sadie Sheldon really was the best thing that ever happened to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!! I'm going to start wrapping this story up!
> 
> XOXO - B


	38. Pray We Stay Young, Stay Made of Lightning

“Stop making that face!” Sadie grumbled, glaring at Derek in the bathroom mirror. For some reason, he felt the need to sit on the edge of the tub, watching her with his nose wrinkled in disgust while she straightened her hair.

“It smells awful.” He explained, lifting his chin haughtily but continuing to watch her. Sadie shook her head before running the hot iron over another section of hair.

“No one said you had to be in here with me.” She raised an eyebrow in the mirror, trying not to smirk when he flushed under his stubble.

“Maybe I just like looking at you.” Sadie felt her own cheeks heating in response to his honest words. It was still weird, believing that someone as physically attractive as Derek could be interested in her. Sometimes she wondered if she didn’t have this crazy goddess shit going on, and if he wasn’t a werewolf, would they even be together? Would he even have noticed her?

“Do you think we’d be together if we weren’t like supernatural creatures?” She didn’t mean to ask the question out loud, but it slipped out before she could stop it. Derek frowned at her in the mirror, and Sadie quickly averted her eyes, not wanting him to see how vulnerable she felt.

“If you want to get technical… we probably never would have met in the first place…” Derek said quietly. He was silent for a moment, and then Sadie felt his hands circling her waist as he kissed her shoulder. “But even before I saw that you had research on the moon, and before my wolf could even decide anything, I thought you were absolutely beautiful. The supernatural had nothing to do with it.” Sadie nodded slightly and leaned back into him, staring at their faces beside each other in the mirror. Derek smirked at her, his eyes lighting up with amusement. “Wanna finish what we started out in the woods?”

“No.” Sadie snapped, picking up the straightener and starting on another piece of hair.

“Come onnnn princess! Why not?” Derek was honest to goodness whining in her ear right now. Sadie rolled her eyes, forcing herself not to let any amusement show.

“Because. I just took a shower, and I refuse to go hang out with my family and a pack of teenaged werewolves smelling like sex.” Finished with her hair, Sadie unplugged the straightener and opened up her eye shadow pallette.

“They won’t notice.” Derek insisted, his eyes wide as he stuck out his bottom lip and pouted.

“No.” Sadie growled, swiping eye shadow on her lids quickly. She felt his hands tighten slightly on her waist. “Derek…” Her warning didn’t stop him though. His breath was warm on her ear, and she couldn’t stop herself from watching in the mirror. It was erotic almost, watching him drag his lower lip along the shell of her ear. A little sigh escaped her lips as heat pooled low in her belly. Damn Derek Hale and his damn seduction techniques.

“We should really get going,” He grinned, stepping away from her quickly and walking out of the bathroom. Sadie closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to stay on track. Her boyfriend was a menace.

 

They were pulling into her grandparents’ driveway an hour later, loaded down with pasta salad and buffalo chicken dip and brownies. Auntie Nat and Lydia were already there, helping Gram in the kitchen. Sadie set the food down on the counter, hugging her aunt while Derek hovered awkwardly in the background. Fortunately, Lydia wasn’t about to stand for that.

“Stop lurking Derek.” she snapped. “This is my mom, Mom this is Derek, Sadie’s boyfriend.” Sadie watched as Derek accepted her aunt’s hand, looking almost demure in his shyness. The sound of the milking system generator floated through the windows from the barn, alerting Sadie to her grandfather’s whereabouts.

“I’ll be right back.” She gave Derek a smacking kiss on the cheek and hurried towards the barn, her flip flops slapping against the soles of her feet. It was kind of mean, leaving Derek to the sharks, but she was sure he could handle the women in her family. Hell, he seemed to handle her ok. She slipped into the barn, the cool darkness smelling of corn silage, cows and manure.

“You’re gonna get the pretty dress all dirty punk,” Her grandpa was crouched at the end of the milk tank, filling white bottles up with fresh milk. Sadie smiled genuinely, glancing down at herself. It was kind of dumb to wear a white sundress to any family event, but hey, she looked cute.

“Hey gramps. Need a hand?” She accepted the bottles he handed to her, and then followed him through the barn towards the calf pens.

“Your grandmother is very proud of you, you know.” He said after a few moments, his eyes soft as he looked at her. Sadie just nodded, rubbing at the neck of the calf she was feeding. “But don’t think this celtic magic crap is the only thing that has to define you.” Sadie looked up sharply, surprised that her grandpa was actually able to see what was bothering her deep down inside. “You certainly are making the MacBeth’s proud.” He continued, “But you’re still a Sheldon.” It was silent in the barn for a moment, save for the sound of calves sucking on bottles and low mooing from the heifers out in the field. “I’m proud of you too punk. I’m proud of you for teaching all your little cousins how to ride a bike and a horse. I’m proud of you for becoming president of Maple Ridge FFA. I’m proud of you for going into business school, and for graduating summa cum laude. I’m proud of you for getting your CPA license and getting a job with the IRS and FBI without having anyone help you along the way.” Sadie could feel her eyes tearing up, her emotions threatening to send her over the edge. “You’re an exceptional young woman without all this other stuff Sadie. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Sadie pulled the bottle away from the calf and wrapped her grandfather in a hug.

“Thanks Gramps,” she murmured, breathing in his familiar smell of tobacco, old spice and hay.

“Anytime kiddo,” he rubbed her back for a moment, until she heard a chuckle escape his lips. “It’s not very nice to leave your boyfriend alone with your grandmother.” Sadie looked over her shoulder, smirking at the sight of a disgruntled and slightly frightened looking Derek walking towards them.

“He wasn’t alone, Lyds and Auntie Nat were there too.” She pulled away from her grandpa almost reluctantly, allowing the calf to finish drinking.

“Like that makes it any better.” Her grandpa chuckled, extending a hand towards Derek. “How ya doing young man? You survive the kitchen?”

“I’m good sir, thank you.” Derek responded simply, sending a small glare Sadie’s way. Whatever. He deserved it for trying to seduce her in her own bathroom.

“I’ll let you two finish up here.” Gramps winked at Sadie and handed a bottle to Derek. “I better get cleaned up before your grandmother drags me out of here by my ear.” Sadie watched as he meandered back out of the barn, disappearing into the shadowed hall. She turned her attention to Derek, in awe of the way the white t-shirt he was wearing stretched across his broad shoulders. He was stroking the calf’s forehead, his expression soft as he fed the baby. Sadie’s heart swelled in her chest. He was perfect.

“Do you want a farm some day?” Derek broke the silence, his fingers now curled around the calf’s ear. Sadie shrugged, picking up the last bottle to feed the remaining baby.

“Yeah,” she sighed, holding in a grunt when the calf bucked against the bottle. “Not a dairy farm though… just some chickens and maybe some goats, and dogs and cats.” She fell silent for a moment, thinking about how awesome it would be to live in a house instead of an apartment and have a backyard full of animals, and fresh eggs for breakfast and a dog sleeping at the end of her bed.

“You’re so beautiful when you talk about your dreams.” Derek was suddenly all up in her space, his warm hands cradling her face. “This right here is why I love you.” He captured her lips with his, and Sadie wrapped her free arm around him, her fingers slipping from the calf’s bottle. “You know that right?” He asked when he broke the kiss, one perfect eyebrow arched as he studied her with those gorgeous eyes. “I don’t love you because my wolf wants you, or because you’ve been chosen by a goddess. I love you for this,” he pointed at her forehead. “And this.” He placed his hand over her heart. “Do you understand?”

Sadie nodded, pushing herself onto her tiptoes and kissing him in earnest.

“I love you too.” She whispered against his lips before kissing him again, allowing herself to melt just a little bit.

 

“Ah! Gross!” The sound of her brother’s voice had Sadie groaning. She couldn’t catch a break around here. Instead of yelling at Levi, she simply sent him a glare before gathering up the empty bottles and leading Derek out of the barn. All of her cousins were there now, and her mom and dad were sitting at a picnic table with her aunts and uncles. Kevin was there with his wife Molly, and their 4 month old daughter, and Stiles was just pulling up with his jeep loaded with the rest of the pack (Isaac looked a little grumpy to be squished in the backseat with Malia and Kira, but it made Sadie smile). Everyone was talking and laughing and it just felt good.  She was surrounded by family and pack and the man of her dreams was holding her hand.

“Sadie!!!” Kevin was waving at her, so she dragged Derek along, pleased to see her cousin acting cordial. Everything was so… normal. It was almost as if they were just regular people. The pack seemed to fit right in with Luke and Jimmy, and Sadie was pleased to introduce Sheriff Stilinski (who she’d berated Stiles into inviting) to her dad. Derek had settled into a conversation with Kevin and Deputy Parrish (who’d tagged along with the Sheriff, and was sneaking sidelong looks at Lydia) about law enforcement or something.

“So… when’s the wedding?” Sadie pulled herself out of her thoughts, trying not to panic when she found herself boxed in by her mother, Auntie Nat and Aunt Martha. Not good.

“Um… we’ve been together like a week. How can you even ask that?” She grumbled, reaching for the nearest alcoholic beverage and downing it.

“How can it only be a week, your grandmother’s been talking about him for months!” Martha replied, raising an eyebrow. Sadie rolled her eyes. It was unnerving really. Auntie Nat and Aunt Martha were like carbon copies of her grandmother. The only difference was they were younger; their attitudes were exactly the same. It was somewhere between awesome and awful.

“Yeah well,” Sadie glanced towards Derek to find him watching her with a smirk on his face. Damn Derek Hale and his supernatural hearing. “I _may_ have told Gram that I had a crush on him when I first met him. But that doesn’t count as dating!” She was hissing now, wishing she wasn’t surrounded by people that could hear her heart beat. “And that was like two months ago!”

“You seem pretty serious.” Her mom offered, sipping at her glass of wine.

“And he’s like a hundred times better looking than the last one.” Natalie added, her smirk growing when Sadie flushed.  

"He's got the James Dean thing down pat," Martha added. "All he needs is a leather jacket."

"Oh he's got one. It's amazing." Sadie slapped a hand over her mouth, wishing her brain to mouth filter was working better. But her aunts seemed pleased.

"Where'd you find him?" Natalie asked, her eyebrows dancing over glass of wine. Sadie smirked at her aunt, debating whether or not she should let her sassy comeback lose or not.

“What, you hoping there’s a store you can visit?” That comment earned her a smack to the back of the end from her mother, but Natalie and Martha were cackling, so it was totally worth it. “I met him at the police station, and before you say it, no he was not in a jail cell.” Derek was shaking his head across the yard, obviously not amused by her commentary. “I managed to barrel into him, have him catch me before I landed on my ass, drop all my files on the floor, and then I proceeded to walk face first into the squad room door because I was too busy watching him. Charmed the pants right off him.”

“If he still wanted to date you after that you better marry him,” Sadie’s mom seemed proud of her jab, but Sadie just glared. She was quite efficient at communicating ‘ _really Mom?_ ’ with just her eyes.

“It’s been forever since we’ve had a wedding in this family,” Martha mused, shaking the ice in her solo cup. Sadie just stared at her for a minute, waiting until it dawned on her. It didn’t. “What?”

“I believe that Kevin, you know, _your first born son_ , got married like a year and a half ago…”

“It’s not the same with boys!” Nat offered, and Sadie was ready to throw up her hands in defeat, and then proceed to hide under the table, when she felt warm hands on her shoulders.

“Hello ladies…” And yup, her prince had come to save her by using his good looks and charm. AS IF this could get any worse! “I was hoping I could borrow my princess for a minute.” And it so got worse. Sadie’s face was so hot she figured she might as well start frying eggs on it, and when Derek dropped his head and pressed a kiss to her neck, she felt she could move on to bacon. Her mom and aunts looking like they were about to explode with the feels, so she scrambled off the bench, trying to escape as quickly as possible.

“ _Hello ladies_? Really?” she hissed under her breath, hating that the grin on Derek’s face managed to distract her slightly from the overwhelming embarrassment she was currently experiencing. He had his arm around her waist, and was managing to subtly guide her towards where the group of teenagers were lounging on the porch. _Delinquents._

“I want you to go give Isaac and Scott hugs.” Derek murmured in her ear, his breath warm and sending tingles down her spine. Okay, so maybe the Goddess was a little horny and wanting to make babies today. And if this was going to last for a couple of days… complete and utter torture was what this was. “I’m experimenting.” Sadie managed to glare at him, but played along, pasting a smile on her face as she beelined for Scott and Isaac.

“Hey,” she held her arms out towards Scott, who stepped easily into her embrace. “Sorry I took off this morning. I was a little emotional.”

“No worries Sadie,” Scott chuckled, pulling her face against his shoulder. He stilled almost immediately, beginning to breathe through his mouth. Not sure if she should be creeped out or laughing, Sadie released him and moved on to Isaac. He grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her against him and nuzzling his face into her neck. And he didn’t stop. Nuzzling. And sniffing. Unlike Scott, who must have realized why exactly she smelled so good, Isaac was practically licking at her neck.

“Fucking werewolves are so weird!” Stiles groaned from the porch swing, followed by murmurs of agreement from the present Sheldon cousins.

All it took for Derek to bare his teeth at Isaac for him to let her go, his face turning so red it was almost purple.

“Guess it’s not just me then,” Derek seemed to be pleased with his little experiment, but Sadie sent him a glare, instead plopping herself down on the steps next to Isaac and stroking his hair.

“Sorry Sadie,” he grumbled, shooting her an embarrassed look.

“Not your fault sweetie,” she murmured, smiling slightly when he leaned into her hand. Derek had explained the importance of touch to werewolves, how it strengthened their pack bonds. He’d also mentioned that since Scott and Isaac were bitten, not born, they were having trouble adjusting to that part of themselves. So Sadie, being the person that she is (and unofficial matriarch of their pack), was taking small steps to push them in the right direction. She could feel Isaac relaxing beside her, not even flinching when Derek sat down on his otherside.

The sun was starting to set over the trees, casting an rosy glow over the pastures and the barn. Somehow Sadie and Derek had ended up alone on the front steps, the rest of her family and the pack having crowded eagerly around the grill. There was a slight chill in the air, reminding her that next week the kids would be back to school and fall was right around the corner. While slightly baffled by the idea of two months having flown by since she moved back to Beacon Hills, she was looking forward to the change of the seasons and the idea that the teens would (hopefully) be too busy with school to be all up in her business.

"Yo Hale!" Deputy Parrish yelled across the yard, a bright grin on his face. "Wanna come check out Kevin's 'cuda with us?" He motioned over his shoulder towards the group of men behind him, talking and laughing with beers clutched in their hands.

"Go on," Sadie nudged Derek with her knee, pushing gently on his back.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna-"

"Derek," she leveled him with an unimpressed look. "We are currently at my grandmother's house, surrounded by my family. I think I can handle it." Derek ducked his head slightly, looking up at her through his lashes before presses a soft kiss to her lips. Then he pushed up off the steps, jogging over to Parrish and accepting the beer he handed to him. Sadie smiled. Derek needed to make some more friends, especially ones his own age.

Sighing, she stood, cracking her back and brushing off her dress. Making her way over to the coolers, she searched for something to drink, grinning when she a can of Bud Light. She was surprised her dad hadn't already drank them all. Like father, like daughter. To her left her mom was slowly rocking Chloe, Kevin's daughter, surrounded by her aunts and Molly. The pack and her cousins (or the ones that weren't looking at Kev's car) had disappeared to play manhunt. Gram was MIA, which meant she was either washing dishes or up to something. Sadie found her gaze drawn towards the darkening woods. It was almost like there was a pull from deep within, causing her to gravitate towards the trees.

"Go on then," Gram's voice was soft as she appeared beside her, a gentle hand brushing down her arm.

"Huh?" Sadie frowned slightly, her eyes wandering from her grandmother back to the tree line.

"Nature... It's calling you." Gram smiled, her eyes kind. "You need it you know. To recharge." Sadie glanced towards where the guys were kicking tires and bull shitting, then over to Molly, her mom and aunts. "I'll cover for you dear." Gram kissed her cheek before pushing her gently away from the house, blue eyes sparkling.

"Thanks," Sadie whispered, sure her own eyes were glowing as she slipped away from her family. She considered getting Pete out of the barn, but that would only cause a scene. Instead she went on foot, slipping off her flip flops and grinning when soft moss appeared before her. _Awesome._

The trees seemed to both calm and excite her at once, a breeze drifting through the branches while the birds sang. There was a fox flitting in and out of her field of vision, and she was fairly certain an owl was following her progress from up above. When she happened upon a mother deer and her half grown twin fawns, they just stared at her, ears flickering in interest. Sadie felt a pang of sadness for Ida, wondering how her little girl was doing.

And then everything went silent.

Sadie paused, resting her hand on the nearest tree as she glanced around. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she made the connection. This was just like her dream, from all those weeks ago. She couldn't help that her heart skipped in her chest when she saw bright blue eyes glowing in the darkness. Her first reaction was to back away, until red eyes appeared beside the blue, and the two sets of yellow. Her pack. And then she realized she didn't need to be afraid of werewolves. Whether they were friendly or not, she knew how to fight them, how to tame them, how to love them. And she had nature on her side.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked, hating the way her voice cracked at the end. There was some giggling in response, and then they were all rushing her, tackling her to the ground. Sadie couldn't help but laugh, thankful for the thick grass and moss that had magically appeared to cushion their fall.

"You do smell really good..." Malia admitted, her face pressed into the crook of Sadie's arm. The other three hummed in agreement, all of them cuddling into Sadie. In lieu of answering, she just rubbed Isaac's back and stroked Kira's hair, happy to have them all close to her.

A low growl came from the edge of the clearing, and it had the kids scrambling away from her looking sheepish. Derek seemed to materialize from the darkness, his eyes a bright blue.

"Get." He ordered, glaring at the teens until they disappeared down the path, heading back towards the house. "You were scared." He said gently, lowering himself down onto the ground beside her. "I could feel it."

"Yeah," Sadie agreed, rubbing her cheek against his upper arm, breathing in the familiar smell of Derek's laundry detergent. "I uh... Remember when we first met? Well, not at the station, at Lydia's? When I freaked out and said I remembered my dream?" Derek nodded, brushing his fingers through her hair. "Oh my god. You totally knew I was into you all along!" Sadie gasped, going through the events of her first few days in Beacon Hills in her head. "You could hear my heart racing, and smell my arousal! And you probably heard that whole conversation I had with Stabler about Johnson!" Derek just grinned at her with all his teeth, looking utterly pleased with himself.

"I thought we were talking about your dream?" He asked, pressing a soft kiss into her hair when she huffed.

"Right. Well, in my dream, I was out here, in this exact spot, in a white dress. I was all alone, and I pulled out my flashlight, and when I shined it, there were all these glowing eyes looking back at me... And when I didn't have my gun, I panicked and tried to run... And then I fell on my face." She paused, shifting so she could see Derek's face in the fading light. "And then, these boots appeared, and stepped over me, and the person connected to them let out this growl that should've scared me. Actually, I even woke up but I wasn't afraid of the growl, only the eyes. When I fell back asleep, the person who growled picks me up off the ground, and it was you." She smiled at him, cupping his cheek with her hand. Derek leaned into it, his eyes wary. "And then you asked me if I was ok... And I'd never felt so safe in my life."

"What happened next?" He asked, his lips lifting slightly in the corners. Sadie grinned and pushed herself onto her knees, clambering awkwardly onto his lap.leaning her forehead against his, she brushed her nose against his, their lips only centimeters apart.

"Maybe I'll just show you." She bit down on Derek’s bottom lip, grinning when he growled deep in his chest. He moved quickly, rolling her onto his back and pinning her wrists above her head.

“Did it go like this?” Derek asked, breathing deeply through his nose as he nibbled at the column of her throat.

“More or less,” Sadie managed to breathe out, her voice a few octaves higher than usual. The scratch of his stubble against her skin still made her breath catch in her throat and heat pool between her thighs. God how she wanted him. Without another thought she curled her legs around his hips, using her heels to pull him down on top of her. Derek’s lips found hers again and he let go over wrists, his hands pushing up along her thighs. She tugged on his t-shirt, whining until he sat back and yanked it off for her, grinning when she moaned loudly and made grabby hands at him.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?” Derek wiggled his eyebrows at her, smirking at Sadie’s sour face as she struggled to get out of her dress without sitting up. Sadie growled at him when he laughed, but it soon turned into a moan when his deft hands easily pulled the dress over her head. “You’re so beautiful Sadie.” He whispered. She could feel the trail of heat his eyes left as the roved her body, his fingers leaving sparks as they traced along the waistband of her panties.

“Derek,” his name came out more like a prayer than she intended, her body arching off the ground towards him.

“Alright princess,” she could feel his grin as he pressed a kiss to her collar bone. “I’m working on it.” He continued to press soft kisses down her body, only pausing to unhook her bra and toss it over her shoulder. The tip of his tongue flicked across one of her nipples, and Sadie groaned loudly. The thought that it would really suck if someone walked up on them flitting through her mind, lasting only for a moment until his teeth scratched against her sensitive skin.

“Fuck....” Sadie hissed, her fingers clumsy as she struggled to unbutton his jeans. Derek ignored her attempts, his spine curling as he bent lower, his tongue dipping inside her belly button. His fingers hooked through the waistband of her white silk underwear, dragging them down tantalizingly slow over her hips and down her thighs.

“I like these,” he murmured, bunching them in his fist as he brought them to his nose and inhaled. It shouldn’t have been hot, but Sadie’s thighs clenched as his eyes burned blue, a low growl rumbling in his chest. _Fuck fuck fucking fuck_. Before she could express herself, Derek’s face was buried between her thighs, his tongue lapping at her clit. She was already too far gone to even moan, all that was escaping her lips was tiny whimpers. One hand fisted in his hair, the other thrown over her head, fingers gripping into the moss as she arched into him. He pushed one finger inside her, curling it until her breath caught in her throat. _Oh fuck_. He continued the same curling motion, his tongue never stopping. Sadie’s legs were shaking, both of her hands now gripping Derek’s hair. It was so intense, she almost wanted him to stop, but at the same time, it was… _amazing_.

“Der… Derek,” she whimpered, her toes curling so hard she almost thought her feet would cramp. The shaking had traveled up to her arms, her eyes undoubtedly burning bright violet.

“You gonna come hard for me baby?” Derek growled, his teeth scraping gently against her clit as his fingers continued to massage inside her. Sadie nodded weakly, her eyes clenched shut as she locked her legs around his shoulders. “Fuck baby, you’re so hot.” And then his teeth clamped down on her thigh, causing Sadie to cry out, her body spasming as she came crashing down. Her eyes opened just in time to watch Derek suck his fingers into his mouth, half shifted as he licked at the wetness. Is it possible to be turned on again 1.2 seconds after orgasming? If you’re dating Derek Hale, the answer is yes. Hell fucking yes.

She watched from beneath hooded lips as he pulled a condom out of his pocket, clasping the packet between his teeth as he kicked off his jeans and briefs. Sadie reached for his cock stroking it lazy and grinning when Derek’s eyes rolled back.

“Fuck princess,” he batted her hand away, tearing the foil with his teeth and rolling the condom on. ‘I’ve been thinking about this all fucking day.” He leaned over her, kissing her roughly and rolling her pert nipples between his fingers. His hands slid down her body as he pushed back up on his knees, grabbing her ankle and hooking over his shoulder. Derek bit his bottom lip as he pushed slowly inside her, stilling once he had sunk all the way in. “You okay baby?” He asked quietly, leaning back over her and brushing his lips against hers. Sadie nodded, the burn in her leg bent between them just short of being uncomfortable. He started to thrust slowly, sucking mark after mark into the delicate skin of her neck. They were gonna be a bitch to cover up, but Sadie couldn’t quite bring herself to care, not with Derek Fucking Hale whispering her name as if she'd hung the fucking moon. Then his mouth closed around her nipple, and every thought left her brain. It didn’t take long for Derek to come with a full body shudder, collapsing on top of her like a blanket.

“Look at the trees,” Derek mumbled a few minutes later, his breath hot against her shoulder.

“Hmmm.”, Sadie craned her neck, grinning at the sight before her. The branches of all the trees surrounding the clearly had dropped towards the ground and twined together, effectively blocking them away from the world.

“I guess I didn’t want any interruptions…” she smirked, sucking on his ear lobe. Derek was practically purring as she ran her fingers up and down the warm skin of his back, mouthing at her bare shoulder. “Hey Der?” Sadie waited until he lifted his head, his green eyes warm. “I love you.” His answering smile was blinding and beautiful and out of this world. The kiss he met her with was even better, slow and lazy and burning.

“I love you more princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading! Sorry about the badly written sex, and any mistakes, cause I honestly am too tired to read this over again. Anyways, I think this is about wrapped up! I am going to write an epilogue, and a couple of Sadie/Derek headcannons, and i think that's it. Let me know if you have any unanswered questions, cause this is such a long freaking fic, I kind of forget stuff (like how in the last chapter Sadie totally should have been a little more traumatized about returning to the Hale house... oops). Again, this story is literally my baby, and I'm so glad I've been able to share this with you. 
> 
> Also, feel free to come hang out with me on my trash of a [tumblr](http://werewolvesandarrows.tumblr.com/).
> 
> XOXO - B


	39. Epilogue - You Say It Best, When You Say Nothing At All

**1 Year, 6 Months Later**

 

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sadie yanked open the break room microwave, hissing under her breath as she half ran back to her table with the now hot leftovers. She slid into her usual chair beside Stabler, across from Deputies Parrish and Johnson. Cho was sitting at the end of the table, already looking unimpressed with the conversation Johnson and Stabler were having. Not that it was surprising, since Johnson and Stabler tended to send every normal conversation spinning off the rails.

“Rumor on the street is that you guys are gonna be leaving us?” Parrish interrupted the on-going debate regarding the benefits of manscaping. Sadie froze with a forkful of macaroni and cheese halfway to her mouth.

“Yeah,” Cho nodded, swallowing down his mouthful of salad. “You guys literally have two unsolved cases left, don’t think you need the FBI anymore.” He grinned at Johnson, who was making an unimpressed face. Sadie forced herself to continue eating, not wanting to display the panic that was currently filling her body. For some reason, it had never occurred to her that at some point she wouldn't be stationed in Beacon Hills anymore.

“Where will you guys go?” Johnson asked, oblivious to the peanut butter and jelly clinging to the corners of his lips. Stabler shrugged, stirring the fried rice in front of him.

“Probably back to the base in San Fran… until we get sent out to another town.”

San Francisco was a good two hours away. That was two hours too far. She was surprised to feel Parrish’s foot hook around her ankle, the contact instantly soothing her. His eyes were kind as he smiled at her across the table, and she knew he could feel her anxiety. It was a pack thing. (And a really good friend thing, since Jordan had managed to some how become one of her most trusted friends over the past year and a half).

“Maybe me and Sheldon will be roomies,” Stabler smirked, knocking his shoulder against hers and drawing her out of her panic. Sadie forced a laugh, relieved when Parrish raised his eyebrows, already grinning.

“For some reason, I don’t think Derek will be a huge fan of that.”

“Oh whatever, Hale can suck it.” Sadie shook her head at that, a real smile pushing it’s way onto her lips. Stabler acted like he was ready to take Derek on all the time, right up until he was face to face with him. And then they were best bros.

The conversation continued on without Sadie, who was sinking farther and farther into internal panic. She couldn’t just leave Beacon Hills! She couldn’t leave behind her family, or her pack or Derek. She couldn’t just start over in a new city. She didn’t even know if she could function outside of the life she’d created since she moved here almost two years ago. But she couldn’t up and quit the FBI, not without another job lined up. Plus, she was still vying for a promotion, and that would all come crumbling down if she quit.

She continued the rest of the day in a daze, barely paying attention as she stood in the back of the room while the Sheriff briefed his deputies on the latest case they were working on. By the time her shift was over, she felt sick to her stomach. How was she going to tell Derek?

It turns out she didn’t really need to. He was waiting for her at her apartment, a glass of wine already poured for her, dinner cooking on the stove. It didn’t help that she dropped her bags inside the door and broke down right then and there, almost dropping to her knees if he hadn’t been there to catch her.

“What’s going on princess?” He murmured, half carrying her over to one of the stools at the kitchen counter.

“I don’t want to leave here,” Sadie cried, her face pressed into the center of Derek’s chest. “The FBI is leaving. My team’s leaving. I _can’t_.” A fresh wave of tears hit her and she clung to Derek, her hands fisting in the soft fabric of his shirt. She gave him credit for not talking at first, he just held her, his big hands rubbing soothing circles across her back.

“You know I’m coming with you, right?” He asked once she’d calmed down, her breathing returning to a more normal pattern.

“You can’t leave them.” Sadie grumbled into his chest, now soaked with tears.

“I can, and I will. They’re all out of high school now Sadie. They’re adults. We don’t need to be here for them twenty four seven.” Derek replied quietly, his fingers moving to comb through her hair. “God, I hate it when you cry.” He smirked at her when she finally looked up at him, nose running and eyes all red.

“Cause I love it so much.” Sadie grouched, but she couldn’t help the tiny smile that appeared on her lips. Even after being together for more than a year, Derek could still make her smile, no matter what.

“We can sublet your apartment, I bet Isaac would be interested.” Apparently Derek was going to ignore her sarcasm tonight. “We can visit on the weekends. Crash here with Isaac or stay with Scott at Melissa’s, or at your Gram’s. It’ll work out.” He smiled suddenly, eyes fixed on the radio in the corner. “Come on,” He lifted her up off the stool. “This is our song.”

Sadie allowed him to drag her into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his neck as they swayed slowly to the music.

“You’ve worked so hard to get where you are princess,” Derek whispered. “I won’t let you give up on it.” He grinned and forced her to twirl under his arm, bringing another unbidden smile to Sadie’s face.

“Yeah but-”

“Nope. I don’t wanna hear it.” This time he dipped her low, smirking when she lost her balance and almost fell. “I’d move to Antarctica if you asked me too Ms. Sheldon.” The corners of his mouth twitched when he said her last name, making Sadie narrow her eyes. _What was that all about?_ She was about to ask when her front door burst open, and Scott and Isaac came barreling in with a gust of cold air behind them.

“Sadie! Are you ok?” Scott puffed, forcing the door closed with one hand, his eyes glowing red. Sadie glanced between him and Isaac, her eyes wide.

“Um… yeah?” Derek was chuckling quietly, his hand firmly on the small of her back, the other on his hip.

“What do you two think you’re doing?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the two young wolves. Scott had the decency to look slightly abashed, but Isaac was slowly edging closer to Sadie, eyes wide and full of concern.

“Well you know,” Scott scratched at the back of his neck. “I could feel something was wrong, and I ran into Parrish on my way home from class, and…”

“I’m fine really,” Sadie assured him, kissing Derek quickly on the cheek before moving from his embrace and reaching for Isaac. The beta wrapped his arms around her, his forehead resting on Sadie’s shoulder. “My FBI team is going to be leaving Beacon Hills soon.” She addressed Scott over Isaac’s shoulder, rubbing his back when he froze against her.

“No. You can’t… I’ll come with you.” Isaac was clearly panicking, his eyes flickering between gold and their natural blue.

“Isaac. You’re not coming with us.” Derek growled, causing Sadie to sigh loudly. He was still uncomfortable with how attached Isaac had become to her, even if it was clearly platonic.

“Sweetie, not that I wouldn't love to have you with me in San Fran,” She explained gently, pushing one hand under his scarf to press against his the back of his neck. “But you’re starting with the Sheriff’s Department on Friday, do you really want to give that up?”

“I could work in San Francisco, on their police force.”

“Without the Sheriff? Without Scott nearby? Without Parrish who knows and understands how werewolves work?” Sadie half scolded him, raising her eyebrows menacingly. “Nothing is set in stone yet for me Isaac. Don’t you even think about quitting your new job before it starts. It’ll work out.” She repeated Derek’s words, and without even looking she knew he was smirking at the back of her head. “Shut up Hale.” She hissed, the snort from Scott only confirming her prediction. Pulling Isaac back into another hug, she leaned in close to whisper so only he could hear. “I won’t abandon you, I promise.” Isaac just tightened his hold on her, his body shaking slightly. It was then that Sadie knew that leaving Beacon Hills would be the hardest thing she’d ever done.

 

**One Week Earlier**

Derek had never felt this anxious in his life. He was used to strong emotions, guilt, anger, fear, love… But anxiety, this was a new one. It might have had something (alright everything) to do with the fact that he was parked at the end of Sadie’s parent’s street, his head resting against the steering wheel. And it most certainly had _everything_ to do with the little black velvet box that seemed to be burning inside the pocket of his leather jacket. _I probably shouldn't have worn leather. Probably should’ve put on khakis and a suit jacket or something._ Because he owned those now, like a normal, functioning adult. _It’s not like Mr. Sheldon hasn’t seen me dressed like this though. He’s pretty laid back._ Derek huffed out a laugh at that. Dan was pretty cool, but he was fiercely protective of his daughter.

There was tapping on his window and Derek whipped around, grinning sheepishly at Levi on the other side of the glass.

“Is there a reason you’re lurking at the end of my street?” Sadie’s brother asked once he’d put the window down. The younger man had become what Derek considered a friend, but like Sadie, he didn’t put up with any of Derek’s shit. Levi cocked his head slightly, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Oh my god! Let me guess, you’re building up the courage to go talk to my Dad?” Derek just nodded, heat crawling up his neck to his ears. Great. Not only was he procrastinating and freaking out, but he got caught by his girlfriend’s little brother. Awesome. “Oh man, this is awesome. I can’t wait! He’s gonna make you shit your pants!” Levi said gleefully, almost skipping back to his pickup that was idling in the road. Sighing, and knowing there was no escaping now, Derek followed him down the road, parking behind him in the driveway.

“Come on big guy!” Levi waved jovially from the front steps, his shit eating grin only growing as Derek climbed slowly out of his SUV. His knees totally did not feel weak, and his hands definitely weren’t shaking. Nope, nope, nope. Levi threw his arm around his shoulders and dragged him inside.

“Derek honey!” Sadie’s mom was pulling him into a hug in seconds, earning an eyeroll and some grumbling from Levi. “What are you up to? Where’s Sadie?” Derek felt his face began to color again. This whole experience couldn’t get any worse.

“I uh,” he rubbed at the back of his neck, eyes focusing on the ceiling. “Um, I was hoping I could speak with your husband.” A moment passed in which he assumed Levi and Heidi traded looks, followed by a quiet squeal, muffled quickly.

“I think he’s down in his office,” Heidi managed to squeak out. Derek just nodded his thanks, trying to ignore the muffled whispers that followed him down into the basement.

“Hey Dan, er Mr. Sheldon?” Derek knocked awkwardly on the office door, his heart pounding in his ears.

“Derek? Come on in.” Dan motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk. “I wasn’t expecting you today… Where’s Sadie?” Derek lowered himself into one of the chairs, glancing quickly at the pistol with a hand carved stock laying on the desk. _Of course. Of fucking course._

“I um, I just wanted to talk to you actually… by myself.” As if on cue, Dan picked up the pistol, beginning to polish the wood.

“What’s on your mind son?” He asked gruffly, eyes sparkling even though his lips were pressed into a thin line.

“Right. Um…” Derek’s fingers closed around the box in his pocket, and he took a deep breath, trying to envision his life with Sadie instead of the disaster unfolding in front of him. “I’d like to marry your daughter.” That wasn’t exactly how he’d wanted this to go. He’d planned a speech, even wrote it down. He was going to wax poetic about how wonderful Sadie was, how he wanted to give her his last name, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving and caring for her. But instead…

“Is that so?” Dan didn’t seem too impressed, but he was carefully not looking at Derek, expression hidden in shadow.

“Sadie is my better half, I can’t imagine a day without her… And all I want is to take care of her for the rest of my life.” He fumbled for the box in his pocket, his fingers suddenly too big and clumsy. “I have a ring for her.” He announced needlessly, sliding the box across the desk towards Dan.

It was almost painful to watch Sadie’s father flip the box open, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the ring.

“Is this...?”

“Yeah, it was my grandmother’s… Sheriff Stilinski found it in some evidence boxes from the fire… I uh, it was handed down through the generations, but my grandmother’s passing obviously wasn’t conventional.” Dan didn’t respond, his eyes still fixed on the ring. “I know the diamond isn’t that big, but I just figured with the leaves and stuff that Sadie would like it cause she’s into plants and stuff like that and I can get a different one if you think-”

“She’ll love it,” Dan smiled softly for a moment, before his expression morphed into something more teasing. “I would question whether or not Sadie wants to marry you, but seeing as she has your family’s symbol tattooed on her chest, I’d say she’s pretty dedicated.” Dan smirked slightly at Derek, who couldn’t help but grin at the memory.

At some point, Sadie had started wearing the shell necklace that Stewart had given her. She knew it annoyed Derek, but she did it anyway (actually, that’s probably the reason she did it), insisting that it was a gift and that it would protect her. In retaliation, Derek had taken to sucking and biting marks onto her neck every night, claiming her from the world (not that Sadie didn’t thoroughly enjoy it while it was happening, judging by the sounds she’d make). And then one afternoon, Sadie had disappeared with Scott, returning hours later with a bandage and gauze over the left side of her collar bone. Derek, in his usual fashion, had overreacted and flipped out on Scott, screaming about how he had let Sadie get hurt. And in their usual fashion, Scott and Sadie had traded knowing looks and ignored him, waiting until he calmed down enough to smell the ink on her.

The tattoo was small, above her collarbone. It was the inverse of Derek’s own triskele, a solid black circle with the spirals blank as Sadie’s skin.

“Now you can stop marking her so much,” Scott had chuckled. And even though Derek had insisted he wasn’t going to stop, it did make him insanely proud that she publicly declared herself as his.

“How are you gonna ask?” Dan’s voice pulled him back to the situation at hand. Which was once again making Derek very nervous.

“I uh… I haven’t really decided yet…” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. “You have any suggestions for me?” Dan raised his eyebrows, smirk growing wider.

“Don’t screw up!” He laughed, eyes dancing with merriment. “I’m sure you’ll think of something kid.” Derek didn’t know what to say to that, the feeling of awkwardness returning. “Alright listen up.” Dan was once again serious. “I don’t have any doubt in my mind that you can take care of my daughter. However, she doesn’t just need to be protected. She needs to be supported, she needs to be encouraged, she needs to be independent. Don’t let those things get lost.” Derek nodded solemnly in agreement. “Alright. Here’s the plan. We’re gonna walk upstairs together. You’re gonna smile and act normal. I’ll take care of the rest. Sadie’s mother needs to be surprised when she calls her with the news.”

Not sure if he totally understood, Derek followed Dan upstairs in a haze. He attempted to do his usual amount of smirking and eye rolling as Dan babbling on about the history of Beacon Hills and Maple Ridge and how glad he was that Derek had taken an interest. Levi looked unconvinced, and Heidi seemed disappointed, but Derek didn’t linger, escaping as quickly as possible back to his car. Now, he just had to ask her.

* * *

Sadie didn’t hear any talk about the FBI leaving until Friday. It was Isaac’s first day, and the Sheriff had called everybody together to welcome him. Sadie stood at the back of the room between Stabler and Special Agent McCall, grinning at the very embarrassed looking Isaac. The Sheriff let out a shrill whistle, drawing everyone’s attention to himself as silence fell over the gathered deputies.

“Morning!” He started cheerfully, winking at Sadie when they made eye contact across the room. “As some of you may know, we have a new addition to our team.” He reached for Isaac, pulling him up beside him. “I’d like to introduce you all to Deputy Isaac Lahey. He just graduated from the Academy last month, and is going to by an excellent addition to the department.” Isaac flushed as everyone started to clap, and he glared at Sadie when she whistled. The Sheriff waited for everyone to quiet down before he started speaking again. “Before I announce who Lahey will be partnered with, I think Special Agent McCall has a few things he would like to say.” Sadie forced herself to stay calm as McCall walked up to the front of the room. She couldn’t panic, not with Isaac there.

“Good Morning Everyone!” Special Agent McCall smirked slightly. “Next week will mark two years since I first came back to Beacon Hills. I am proud to say that between the Sheriff, this fine team of deputies, and my agents, there are now only two, very current cases open in Beacon Hills.” Cheers echoed through the room in response, along with Johnson yelling some nonsense. “Which means, there is no reason for the FBI presence here any more.” McCall shared a look with the Sheriff, and Sadie couldn’t help but smile. He’d made a lot of progress repairing his relationship with Scott over the past year. “That being said, after speaking with both Sheriff Stilinski and my higher ups at the FBI,” he nodded towards the door, where Sadie noticed Agent Sharma had appeared out of thin air. Isaac was almost visibly bristling, and she had to glare at him until he stopped. “We have decided that there should be an FBI agent permanently stationed here in Beacon Hills.” Sadie felt her eyes widen, her heart starting to pound excitedly in her chest. “The agent in question will be partnered with a Beacon Hills deputy, and as a team they will be handling the higher profile cases. Sheriff Stilinski, if you’d like to continue.” McCall nodded slightly at the Sheriff, leaning onto the desk behind them.

“Deputy Parrish,” The Sheriff grinned when Parrish almost jumped out of his seat. “Due to your diligence, effectiveness, and ability to close cases, you’ve been selected to partner with the FBI agent in question.” At this point, Sadie almost couldn’t contain the shaking in her fingers. “Your partner will be the one and only,” he paused again, and Sadie briefly considered throwing a pen at his head. “Agent Sheldon.”

Sadie let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and attempted to keep the wattage of her smile to professional levels. It didn’t help that Parrish was grinning at her and Johnson was doing some obnoxious version of a thumbs up and Isaac looked like he wanted to run across the room and jump her. Stabler was grumbling under his breath about losing his favorite partner already, but his warm hand on her shoulder told her that he understood.

“Hey!” Sheriff Stilinski yelled over their voices. “I’m not finished yet! Parrish and Sheldon will also be responsible for training Lahey.” At this, Sadie was pretty sure that Isaac was physically restraining himself from hugging her. “So yeah…” For a moment, the Sheriff resembled Stiles. “That’s it. Get back to work!” There was a mix of laughter and clapping, and Sadie pushed her way through the crowd, wrapping Isaac up in a hug.

“Sadie, you have no idea how relieved I am,” he whispered into her ear, nonchalantly breathing in her scent.

“Me too Isaac, me too.”

“Sheldon!” McCall called her name, and Sadie was forced to let go of Isaac. “Agent Sharma would like to speak with you and Parrish in the Sheriff’s office.”

Sadie and Parrish walked towards the Sheriff’s office together, their arms brushing companionably. She was surprised to see the Sheriff behind his desk still, with Agent Sharma perched on the window sill. Sharma looked a little more relaxed than last time, dressed in dark colored jeans, black motorcycle boots and a thick burgundy sweater.

“It’s good to see you Agent Sheldon,” she murmured, bowing her head slightly. A smirk spread across her face when Parrish tensed behind Sadie, finally sensing that she wasn’t all human.

“Relax.” The Sheriff scoffed, staring pointedly at the chairs in front of his desk until they both sat down. “Agent Sharma has informed me of the existence of Sector S.” Parrish made a noise of confusion, only stopping when the Sheriff held up his hand. “Sadie will debrief you. Anyways, the two of you, along with Isaac, are going to operate as our own version of Section S. I’m calling it Team Beacon Supernatural, or Team BS for short.” The Sheriff grinned when Sadie and Parrish shared a look, both of them snorting out laughs. “Anyways, McCall was right, you will be handling the high profile cases. Mostly because the only horrible things that happen in this town are directly correlated to some magic supernatural shit. And I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, if time traveling is real, I’m done.” He shot a look at the smirking Agent Sharma. “No going back to 1985 for me.”

“Understood Sheriff.” Agent Sharma pushed herself off the window sill, landing gracefully on her feet. “After learning that the Sheriff here is in the know about the supernatural, we decided it was best to work with the local law enforcement to keep everything under control. We have high expectations for the both of you.” She half smiled, almost dancing to the door.

“That’s it?” Parrish asked, raising his eyebrows. Sharma flashed her eyes at him, bowing slightly.

“That’s it. Good luck.” And then she was gone.

“So…” Sadie narrowed her eyes at the Sheriff. “Nobody wanted to tell me about this until now?” Both the Sheriff and Parrish grinned.

“Nope! It was much more fun watching you panic.” Parrish chuckled, not even flinching with Sadie punched him gently in the shoulder.

“You’re both lucky I’m overly pleased about this.” She muttered, unable to keep the smile from her face. She sighed happily, relaxing into the chair. “And thank you,” she met the sheriff’s gaze. “Thank you for everything.”

 

Sadie couldn’t get home fast enough. She was hoping Derek was there, waiting for her, so that she could yell and cry and dance with him and celebrate the good news. _I don’t have to leave._ But Derek’s car wasn’t in it’s usual spot when she got home, her heart dropping slightly in response. Her disappointment only lasted a moment, attention caught by a little ball of fur sitting in front of her door. A puppy.

She couldn’t scramble out of her car fast enough, half running up the steps towards what some would think was a mutt. But Sadie didn’t care, it was A PUPPY. The cute little thing practically jumped into her arms, licking at her face excitedly.

“Hi baby!” Sadie cooed, blindly punching the code in to unlock her door. Luckily it clicked open, and Sadie stepped half inside. “Let’s see if you’ve got a tag little…Oh my god.” Instead of a tag, there was a [diamond ring](https://www.etsy.com/listing/162981131/leaves-engagement-ring-no-4-14k-gold-and?ref=market) tied to the puppy’s collar with a piece of ribbon. Her eyes snapped up to find Derek waiting for her on one knee, smiling that little half smile that made her heart beat in double time. “Oh my God.” She repeated, eyes drawn back to the ring still attached to the puppy. It was gold, with what looked like vines cradling the diamond in the center. “Derek?” Half whimpering his name, she stepped closer to him, waiting.

“Sadie…” he started, face flushing adorably. “I uh, I had a speech for you, but I can’t seem to remember it. But um, I love you. Forever and always. You make me want to be a better man every day, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.” He swallowed hard, glancing down at the carpet before doing that stupid little chin dip eyelash flutter crap that just made Sadie want to melt into the floor. “Will you marry me?”

“Of course you stupid idiot,” Sadie huffed before throwing herself at them, all three of them, Derek, Sadie and the puppy, falling onto the floor. And then finally Derek was kissing her, pulling her down on top of him, his hands hot against her skin.

“Did you really have to call me a stupid idiot when accepting my marriage proposal?” He grumbled before catching her lips in another bruising kiss. Sadie grinned to herself, kissing lazily up his jaw to his ear.

“But you’re my stupid idiot. And I love you. Forever and Always.”


	40. Head Cannons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is really just me not being able to let this story go. Like ever. If anyone has more questions about anything else that happened in this universe I will gladly add to this list :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading through this story. Sadie Sheldon is my baby (and pretty much a more bad ass, more interesting,and prettier version of myself... or who I wished I was)  
> Come hang out with me on [ tumblr](http://werewolvesandarrows.tumblr.com/), where I just reblog stuff and cry about Derek Hale, Lydia Martin and Scott McCall  
> Again, thanks so much for reading this story that started out as a day dream! I am both relieved and saddened to finish it!
> 
> XOXO - B

  * Sadie and Derek get married the following fall at Sadie’s grandparent’s farm. Sadie’s maid of honor is of course Hannah, with Lydia and Meg (the EMT), and Cora (who insists on returning from South America to meet Sadie after hearing how bad-ass she is from Stiles and that Derek was still with her after six months) as her bridesmaids. Derek’s best man is Jordan Parrish (they bonded instantly that night at Sadie’s grandparents over muscle cars, and their friendship blossomed from there. Sadie was glad to see Derek hanging out with people his own age). Isaac, Scott and Levi were his groomsmen. Adorably, Kira caught the bouquet, and Scott the garter, and that night their currently off-again relationship turned into an on-again forever relationship

  * Derek starts rebuilding the Hale house the summer before they get married. He doesn’t finish it until the following summer, but he, Levi (currently a journeyman plumber) and Jimmy(who worked for an electrician) do everything themselves. Sadie is of course, in on all the planning, and manages to boss everybody around on as much as possible. When finished, it has five bedrooms, four baths, and a little barn outback.

  * When the pack was still in their senior year of high school, Sadie made it her mission to get to know each and every one of them personally. She starts with Isaac, cooking him homemade dinners and taking him shopping, and letting him lay on her couch with his head in her lap while they talked about his father, and how even though he was horrible, Isaac still missed him. She gets him to talk about Erica and Boyd and Allison, and Isaac cries, blaming himself until Sadie can soothe him and convince him otherwise. Next is Malia, who brushes it off at first. But Sadie insists on going on walks through the preserve with her, and at first Malia just shows her places she used to go as a coyote, and then suddenly she’d talking about her mom and her sister and it’s clear she’d still haunted by guilt. Kira’s story isn’t quite as tragic, but she’s eager to hang out with Sadie, even teaches her and Derek how to make sushi. She talks about how normal her life was before Beacon hills, how amazing Scott was, and how frightening it was to think that she would live to be hundreds of years old. Lydia and Sadie have girls’ nights, where they paint their nails and read gossip rags, and every now and then Lydia slips in how she still has nightmares about Peter biting her, about seeing red eyes outside her bedroom window. She mentions how terrifying it is to know that someone is going to die, and how broken she is after not being able to save Allison. Stiles might have been the most difficult. He insisted that he was fine, that he didn’t need Sadie to act as his therapist. But she and Derek forced him to go out to dinner with them, made him sleep at Sadie’s apartment once a week, squished in between the two of them in her bed to keep the bad dreams at bay. It took almost a month before he started to share. How he remembered everything, all the pain, all the chaos, how much he liked it. He’s haunted by the image of Scott’s face when he stuck a sword through his stomach. And he carries more guilt than any of the other’s for Allison’s death. Scott talks easily, but he tries to cover up his own pain by being worried about others. He’s worried about Stiles and Lydia and Isaac, who could never properly mourn Allison. He’s worried about Malia, who is still learning how to be human again. He’s stressed about his relationship with Kira, afraid to hurt the innocent little flower that she is. But Sadie doesn’t try to counsel him, she just hugs him a lot and feeds him homemade cookies and hot chocolate and let’s him fall asleep on her couch when he wants to. She takes each of them to the cemetery (with the exception of Kira), picking bouquets of flowers ahead of time for the graves they visit. She bring Stiles to his mom’s and Allison’s graves, sitting in the car while he visits. She takes Malia to visit her mom and sister, sitting on the ground beside her as she cries and screams. Her and Scott and Lydia kneel side by side in front of Allison’s stone, sharing stories about her dimples and her laugh and the way she shot an arrow. Isaac is surprised when Sadie has two bouquets for him. One for Allison, one for his father, if he wants. When he hesitates, Sadie tells him that she was planning on leaving it for a friend of hers who passed in high school if he didn’t want it. Isaac nods, but after they visit Allison, he slips off with it, returning to her car half an hour later with tears and dirt staining his cheeks. But he smiles at Sadie, and she knows all is well.

  * After they had been officially dating for a couple of months, Derek finally tells Sadie about his attempt at being an alpha and creating a pack. He tried to be strong, to state the facts almost clinically. But Sadie could almost feel him closing off, so she pulled him into her, encouraging him to cry about losing his betas. They visit Erica and Boyd’s unmarked graves in the back corner of the Hale property. The slightly mounded dirt is the only clue that two people are buried under the earth. But Sadie could feel it, energy almost singing in her veins. She kneels between them, pressing her hands to the earth over where their hearts would be. Flowers and moss begin to sprout from the ground, covering their graves in a blanket of color. In place of headstones, two live oaks unfurl from the earth, growing until they reach about three feet tall. Derek doesn’t say anything, looking almost lost as he stares. Sadie just kisses his cheek and gives him some space, wandering back towards the Hale house and making friends with some squirrels and birds. She convinces Derek to offer to bring Isaac to visit them. It takes two weeks before the two finally go, but they are gone for almost three hours, and when they returned, the slight tension that always existed between them had almost completely dissipated.

  * After about two years, Sadie’s cousin Jimmy asks for the bite. He even writes an essay for Sadie to give to Scott, explaining why he wants it. Scott is hesitant at first, but eventually decides to do it. Somewhere along the way Jimmy and Malia become inseparable, and eventually start dating (Stiles and Malia break up when Stiles goes to college).

  * Every Wednesday, Sadie cooks enough food to feed an army, and the entire pack all know that they are invited. Derek and Isaac are of course always in attendance. Scott comes almost every week, except when he has study groups for college. Stiles, Lydia and Kira come when they’re home on break. Malia breezes through every couple of weeks. Sadie’s brother and cousins turn up randomly, usually bugging her in the kitchen until she hits them with a spoon or a spatula.

  * Every couple of months, on the full moons, Sadie hosts Team Human nights at her apartment (it’s a technicality, really). While the wolves run around under the full moon, Lydia, Stiles, Kira, Parrish and Levi hang out with Sadie, doing all the obnoxious human things they can’t do around the wolves. They play two truths and a lie, and break out the acetone and spray paint. They play really loud music and dance around like maniacs until they’re red in the face. They eat meals at a normal pace, not having to rush to make sure they get something to eat before it’s ALL GONE, and drink beer and wine without having to hear complaints on how unfair it is.

  * Since Stiles and Sadie know that the wolves can’t stay away during Team Human meetings, they purposefully put together a playlist to irritate Scott and Derek so that they keep their distance (or sit outside and pout).




 

Stiles & Sadie’s Team Human Playlist:

  1. Werewolves of London 

  2. Bad Dog - Neon Hitch

  3. I Was A Teenage Werewolf - The Cramps

  4. She Wolf - Shakira

  5. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

  6. Gods & Monsters - Lana Del Rey

  7. Who Let The Dogs Out - Baja Men

  8. Hungry Like A Wolf - Duran Duran

  9. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf

  10. Little Monster - Royal Blood

  11. Mystica (werewolf) - Blasterjaxx

  12. Animals - Maroon 5

  13. I’m A Werewolf Baby - The Tragically Hip

  14. Red Riding Hood - Amanda Seyfried

  15. Morning After Dark - Timbaland

  16. Howl - Florence & The Machine

  17. Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace

  18. Hound Dog - Elvis

  19. Wolves & Werewolves - The Pack a.d.

  20. Raised By Wolves - Voxtrot

  21. Old Red - Blake Shelton

  22. Move It On Over - Hank Williams

  23. Like My Dog - Billy Currington

  24. Giving The Dog A Bone - AC/DC

  25. Blood Hound - 50 Cent



  * Derek and Sadie have four kids. Three girls (Piper Lynn, Laura Ann and Meadow Talia), each two years apart. As Sadie expected, Derek doted on his daughters, spoiling them senseless. Four years after Meadow, Sadie unexpectedly got pregnant again, this time with a little boy. Jacob Scott was a terror from the moment he opened his eyes, but he was a mama’s boy through and through.

  * Parrish and Sadie are partners for seven years before Parrish gets promoted to Sheriff (well, co-Sheriff until Stilinski officially retires). Isaac becomes her everyday partner. She encourages him to work the most with children, using his traumatic childhood experience to help make kids feel safe.

  * Stiles goes to college for criminal justice and forensics, and gets hired by the LAPD right out of college. After a couple of years he returns to Beacon Hills, and end ups joining Isaac, Sadie and Parrish on Team BS (Stiles insists on calling it that. Like father like son).



 


End file.
